Amina Rani¹, Gulnaz Afzal¹, Yasir Mahmood¹, Sana Alam¹, Zahid Iqbal², Mahboob Akbar³, Ahsan Nadeem Malik³, Muhammad Rizwan¹, Rabia Akram⁴, Mushtaq Ahmad³, Riaz Hussain^5*

¹Department of Zoology, Islamia University of Bahawalpur-63100, Pakistan

²Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Islamia University of Bahawalpur-63100, Pakistan

³Livestock and Dairy Development Department (Poultry Production), Punjab, Pakistan

⁴Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Zoology Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan

⁵Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Islamia University of Bahawalpur-63100, Pakistan

Abstract

Ethoxysulfuron is frequently used as a post-emergent herbicide in different food crops to control broad leaf weeds. This study aimed to investigate the potential adverse effects of ethoxysulfuron herbicide on male Japanese quail. 48 adult male birds were divided into 4 groups and orally administered with varying doses of the herbicide for 45 days. Quail were exposed to four sub-lethal concentrations (0 mg/kg, 0.70 mg/kg/day, 0.90 mg/kg/day, and 1.25 mg/kg/day) of ethoxysulfuron starting from day 1 to 45 of trial and different samples from each quail were obtained at days 15, 30 and 45 of trial following exposure. Results exhibited that with increasing ethoxysulfuron concentrations different nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes such as the formation of micronuclei, binucleated erythrocyte, notched nuclei, blabbed nuclei, lobbed nuclei, condensed nuclei, nuclear remnants and the erythrocytes without nuclei increased in treated birds. Results showed that exposure to herbicide led to genotoxicity, as evidenced by increased values of DNA damage in different visceral organs of the exposed quail compared to the control group. Various antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress biomarkers were significantly reduced and escalated in the liver tissues of quail. Histological examination revealed prominent histoarchitectural changes in the liver (degeneration of hepatocytes and necrosis) and kidneys (degeneration of renal tubules, necrosis of renal tubules, and necrosis of renal tubular epithelial cells) of the exposed quail. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that exposure to ethoxysulfuron herbicide can cause significant morphological and nuclear abnormalities in erythrocytes, DNA damage, and histoarchitectural changes in different visceral organs of Japanese quail. These findings suggest that exposure to herbicides may pose a health risk to both humans and wildlife.

Keywords: Ethoxysulfuron, Japanese quail, Oxidative stress, DNA damage, Histopathology