Assessment of Apoptosis and DNA Damage in Alburnus tarichi Exposed to the Toxicity of the Fungicide Azole

Few studies have investigated the joint toxicity mechanism of azole fungicides at different exposure times and relevant environmental concentrations. Fungicides can be found in higher concentrations than other agricultural chemicals in the whole environment due to their wide range of use and repetitive use. One of these fungicides, tebuconazole, acts as a chemical disrupting the synthesis of ergosterol found in the cell membranes of fungi and protozoa. It is aimed to investigate the effects of this mechanism of action on other living things exposed to tebuconazole in nature. In the study, 2.5 mg/L concentration of tebuconazole was applied to Van fish as a model organism, and sampling was performed at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours. The liver and gill tissues of the sampled fish were taken, and the change of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, malonedialdehyde, 8-hydroxy deoxyguanosine, and caspase-3 biomarkers were investigated. The results determined that the levels of antioxidant enzymes decreased with the increase of the exposure time to tebuconazole, and the levels of L-lipid peroxidation, 8-OHdG, and caspase-3 increased (P < 0.05). This study determined with different biomarkers that this fungicide caused oxidative stress in the tissues examined.