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Estimating the DNA strand breakage using a fuzzy inference system and agarose gel electrophoresis, a case study with toothed carp Aphanius sophiae exposed to cypermethrin

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Abstract

The DNA breakage has been widely used in ecotoxicological studies to investigate effects of pesticides in fishes. The present study used a fuzzy inference system to quantify the breakage of DNA double strand in Aphanius sophiae exposed to the cypermethrin. The specimens were adapted to different temperatures and salinity for 14 days and then exposed to cypermethrin. DNA of each specimens were extracted, electrophoresed and photographed. A fuzzy system with three input variables and 27 rules were defined. The pixel value curve of DNA on each gel lane was obtained using ImageJ. The DNA breakage was quantified using the pixel value curve and fuzzy system. The defuzzified values were analyzed using a three-way analysis of variance. Cypermethrin had significant effects on DNA breakage. Fuzzy inference systems can be used as a tool to quantify the breakage of double strand DNA. DNA double strand of the gill of A. sophiae is sensitive enough to be used to detect cypermethrin in surface waters in concentrations much lower than those reported in previous studies.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the research deputy of the faculty of natural resources, university of Tehran, for partially funding the thesis of M. Nasrollah Pourmoghaddam, under the scheme of "Supporting the postgraduate theses", the present paper is based on those data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, PO Box 4314, Iran

    Hadi Poorbagher, Maryam Nasrollahpour Moghaddam, Soheil Eagderi & Hamid Farahmand

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  1. Hadi Poorbagher
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  2. Maryam Nasrollahpour Moghaddam
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  3. Soheil Eagderi
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  4. Hamid Farahmand
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Correspondence to Hadi Poorbagher.

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Poorbagher, H., Moghaddam, M.N., Eagderi, S. et al. Estimating the DNA strand breakage using a fuzzy inference system and agarose gel electrophoresis, a case study with toothed carp Aphanius sophiae exposed to cypermethrin. Ecotoxicology 25, 1040–1046 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10646-016-1647-5

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