Genotoxic effects of carbaryl on the DNA breakage of the liver and gill tissues in Aphanius kavirensis (Aphaniidae) using a fuzzy inference system

A high rate of pesticide use has increased the concern regarding the toxic effects of pesticides. In this respect, the genotoxic effects of carbamate in the liver and the gill of Aphanius kavirensis have been investigated. The experiment was run for up to nine days. The specimens were exposed to 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 mg.L‑1 of carbamate and the gill and liver of the specimens were sampled at 1, 3 and 5 days after the start of the experiment. The results showed that the pesticide concentration had no significant effect on DNA breakage (P>0.05). But, exposure duration had a significant effect on DNA breakage (P<0.05). There were dissimilar trend in DNA breakage of the gill and liver. The highest rate of DNA breakage in the gill was found at day 1 and in the liver at day 5. A decrease in the percentage of DNA breakage was found in two organs after day 9 indicating that there was a mechanism in both organs to recover the damaged DNA. In conclusion, the highest rate of DNA breakage in this species was found in initial stages of exposure to the pesticide and the rate of the breakage may be decreased or disappeared over time.