Comparative Analysis of Human and Chicken Lymphocytes DNA Damage Exposed to Carbofuran

Carbofuran, a highly toxic N-methyl carbamate insecticide banned in many regions due to ecological and health risks, exerts genotoxic effects through oxidative stress and DNA damage. This study evaluated and compared its time-dependent genotoxicity on human and chicken lymphocytes using the Alkaline Comet Assay, exposing isolated peripheral blood lymphocytes from both species to 50 µM carbofuran for 1 or 2 hours and quantifying DNA strand breaks using CASP software. Results revealed moderate DNA damage in human lymphocytes after 1 hour (Tail DNA% = 12.65%, TM = 0.51, OTM = 2.32), increasing moderately after 2 hours (Tail DNA% = 18.92%, TM = 1.14, OTM = 2.40). In stark contrast, chicken lymphocytes exhibited high DNA damage after 1 hour (Tail DNA% = 40.17%, TM = 17.68, OTM = 13.11), which significantly increased after 2 hours (Tail DNA% = 60.08%, TM = 29.44, OTM = 18.94). These findings demonstrate carbofuraninduced time-dependent DNA damage in both species but crucially reveal significantly higher susceptibility in chicken lymphocytes compared to human lymphocytes at the same concentration. This heightened vulnerability underscores carbofuran's extreme toxicity to birds and highlights the value of chicken lymphocytes as a sensitive model for Eco toxicological genotoxicity assessment.