Research Article

Evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of chlorpyrifos ethyl in fish cell lines

Volume: 9 Number: 1 January 15, 2026
EN

Evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of chlorpyrifos ethyl in fish cell lines

Abstract

Chlorpyrifos-ethyl (CPE) is a widely used organophosphate pesticide that poses a significant risk to aquatic ecosystems. The present study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of CPE on two fish cell lines: rainbow trout gonad (RTG-2) and common carp epithelioma (EPC). The cells were exposed to a range of CPE concentrations (0.488 - 250 ppm) for 24 h. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using two complementary colourimetric assays, MTT and Neutral Red (NR), which measure mitochondrial activity and lysosomal membrane integrity, respectively. The results demonstrated that CPE induced a significant, concentration-dependent decrease in both assays in both cell lines. The calculated half-inhibitory concentration (IC50) values for the RTG-2 and EPC cells showed variations, indicating differences in sensitivity between the cell types and the metabolic endpoints assessed. The cell morphologies were changed when exposed to CPE concentrations in both cell lines. The in vitro cytotoxicity data were consistent with the acute toxicity ranges (LC50) reported in the literature for in vivo fish species, validating the use of these piscine cell lines as reliable and ethical tools for the preliminary ecotoxicological screening of pesticides. This study confirms the high cytotoxic potential of CPE and underscores the utility of fish cell lines in environmental risk assessment.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Çankırı Karatekin Universtiy Scientific Research Projects Presidency

Project Number

FF210621B12

Ethical Statement

Not applicable. The study involved only in vitro experiments using established fish cell lines and did not include experiments on live animals.

Thanks

Special thanks to Prof. Dr. A. Cağlan Gunal for providing chlorpyrifos-ethyl, to Prof. Dr. Gülçin Akça for using the cell culture laboratory access and to Prof. Dr. Begüm Yurdakök for using the SpectraMax microplate reader.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Aquatic Toxicology , Fish Biology

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

January 15, 2026

Publication Date

January 15, 2026

Submission Date

November 24, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 12, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 1

APA
Arslan Yüce, P. (2026). Evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of chlorpyrifos ethyl in fish cell lines. Aquatic Research, 9(1), 54-62. https://doi.org/10.3153/AR26006

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