Effect of antioxidants on the microbiota and intestinal histostructure of white rats exposed to the pesticide glyphosate

Abstract

Glyphosate is the most widely used broad-spectrum herbicide. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of various antioxidants on the intestinal microbiota and histostructure of white rats exposed to glyphosate. The efficacy of potential candidate components (calcium succinate at 25 mg/kg body weight, ammonium fumarate at 25 mg/kg, and curcumin at 0,04 % of the diet) with antitoxic effects against glyphosate pesticide poisoning was assessed using 30 white rats divided into 5 groups. Exposure to the glyphosate-based preparation resulted in a 34,4 % (p<0,001) and 36,7 % (p<0,001) decrease in lacto- and bifidobacteria, and a 30,0 % (p<0,001) increase in Escherichia coli counts, compared to the biological control. Yeast fungi, salmonella, and hemolytic Escherichia coli were detected in the feces of animals in the toxic control group. Curcumin demonstrated the highest response to glyphosate. The effect of ammonium fumarate was insignificant, and calcium succinate demonstrated the least ability to restore the normal microbiome composition of white rats poisoned with glyphosate. The histological picture of the small intestine of biological control rats was normal. Histological sections of rats given only glyphosate showed edema of the mucosal and submucosal layers, as well as focal epithelial necrosis. Mucosal edema with individual cell necrosis was observed in the intestines of rats given glyphosate and calcium succinate. Rats given glyphosate and ammonium fumarate showed signs of mucosal edema in the intestines. In histological preparations of rats treated with glyphosate and curcumin, the intestinal structure did not differ from the control.