• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.186-193
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• 2009

The removal efficiency of herbicide glyphosate in a drinking water treatment system was investigated. Four major processes of a drinking water treatment system were selected and experiments were performed separately including; treatments by sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), a sedimentation process by PAC (polyaluminum chloride), ozonation and a GAC (granular activated carbon) treatment. In the sodium hypochlorite experiment, about 50% of the glyphosate was removed by 2 mg/L of hypochlorite and more than 90% was eliminated when 5 mg/L of NaOCl was applied. Also, AMPA, the main metabolite of glyphosate, was treated with hypochlorite. More than 30% of the AMPA was removed by 2 mg/L of hypochlorite and 50% by 5 mg/L. In the PAC experiment, it was determined that more than 60% could be removed. Further experiments were performed and the results indicated that the removed amount was dependent upon the amount of soil and upon the properties of the soil especially that of clay minerals. Ozonation could oxidize glyphosate to its byproducts at about a level of 50%. In contrast, when 1 mg/L of glyphosate was treated with GAC, the amount removed was negligible. The results of this experiment were conclusive. We confirmed that drinking water, which has been contaminated with water polluted with glyphosate can be effectively purified by the application of the drinking water treatment processes currently used.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2014

Purpose: Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethyl glycine) is widely used as an herbicide for weed control in rural areas. It is also readily available for suicide attempts. Glyphosate has high toxicity and negatively affects the human body. The aim of this investigation was to study the genotoxicity of a low-concentration of glyphosate through sister chromatid exchange (SCE) in human blood lymphocytes in vitro. Methods: Primary lymphocyte cultures were obtained from blood samples of 11 males and seven females who had been exposed to glyphosate (0, 100, 200, and 300 ng/mL). The frequency of SCEs was examined and statistical analysis was performed. Results: All doses of glyphosate induced a significant dose-dependent increase in SCE frequency compared with the control group (P<0.001). In particular, the SCE frequency for exposure to low-dose glyphosate was significantly higher in females than in males. Conclusion: According to the result of this study, even a low-dose of glyphosate may damage DNA and females are more vulnerable to glyphosate.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.71-73
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• 2007

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in widely used herbicides. It acts through inhibition of the shikimate metabolic pathway in plants. This pathway does not exist in mammals, however, so glyphosate is presumably less toxic to humans. Nevertheless, fatal cases of glyphosate poisoning in humans have still occurred. Cases of glyphosate poisoning reported in the previous literature were almost always caused by intentional ingestion. Therefore, intramuscular injection of glyphosate with suicidal intent has not been reported. We report a case of 43-year-old man with poisoning due to intramuscular injection of glyphosate herbicide. He was admitted to the emergency department with a chilling sensation, local hotness, swelling, and tenderness at the site of glyphosate injection. He was treated with intravenous antibiotics and analgesics for 10 days and was discharged without any other complication.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.141-147
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• 1995

Glyphosate(N-[phosphonomethyl]glycine) applied to the assimilate-exporting leaves or sprayed to the whole plants of tomato(Lycopersicon esculentum Mil var. Moneymaker). Glyphosate induced the rapid accumulation of shikimic acid within 24 h. The accumulation of shikimic acid companied with chlorophyll loss in meristematic leaves, i.e. apical leaves. The chlorosis was acropetal in apical region of young growing leaf. The degradation of chlorophyll seems to be a secondary or tertiary effect of glyphosate. However, the level of shikimic acid accumulated was reduced except for roots and apical leaves from 5 days after treatment. The accumulating levels are considerably differed through the applicated regions. The level of shikimic acid is highest at the apical meristem 4 days after the application to 3rd old leaf.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.130-135
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• 2020

Purpose: Taking large amounts of glyphosate is life-threatening, but the amounts of glyphosate taken by patients for suicide are not known precisely. The purpose of this study was to find the predictors of large amounts of glyphosate ingestion. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed patients presenting to an emergency department with glyphosate intoxication between 2010 and 2019, in a single tertiary hospital. The variables associated with the intake amounts were investigated. The parameters were analyzed by multivariate variate logistic regression analyses and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: Of the 28 patients with glyphosate intoxication, 15 (53.6%) were in the large amounts group. Univariate analysis showed that metabolic acidosis, lactic acid, and corrected QT (QTc) interval were significant factors. In contrast, multivariate analysis presented the QTc interval as the only independent factor with intoxication from large amounts of glyphosate. (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 1.073, 1.011-1.139; p=0.020) The area under the ROC curve of the QTc interval was 0.838. Conclusion: The QTc interval is associated significantly with patients who visit the emergency department after being intoxicated by large amounts of glyphosate. These conclusions will help in the initial triage of patients with glyphosate intoxication.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1473-1483
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• 2014

Reports of herbicide resistance events are proliferating worldwide, leading to new cultivation strategies using combinations of pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides. We analyzed the impact during a one-year cultivation cycle of several herbicide combinations on the rhizobacterial community of glyphosate-tolerant Bt-maize and compared them to those of the untreated or glyphosate-treated soils. Samples were analyzed using pyrosequencing of the V6 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene. The sequences obtained were subjected to taxonomic, taxonomy-independent, and phylogeny-based diversity studies, followed by a statistical analysis using principal components analysis and hierarchical clustering with jackknife statistical validation. The resilience of the microbial communities was analyzed by comparing their relative composition at the end of the cultivation cycle. The bacterial communites from soil subjected to a combined treatment with mesotrione plus s-metolachlor followed by glyphosate were not statistically different from those treated with glyphosate or the untreated ones. The use of acetochlor plus terbuthylazine followed by glyphosate, and the use of aclonifen plus isoxaflutole followed by mesotrione clearly affected the resilience of their corresponding bacterial communities. The treatment with pethoxamid followed by glyphosate resulted in an intermediate effect. The use of glyphosate alone seems to be the less aggressive one for bacterial communities. Should a combined treatment be needed, the combination of mesotrione and s-metolachlor shows the next best final resilience. Our results show the relevance of comparative rhizobacterial community studies when novel combined herbicide treatments are deemed necessary to control weed growth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.159-165
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• 2012

The rhizobacterial composition varies according to the soil properties. To test if the effect of herbicides on the rhizobacterial communities of genetically modified NK603 glyphosate-tolerant maize varies according to different soil locations, a comparison was made between the effects of glyphosate (Roundup Plus), a post-emergence applied herbicide, and a pre-emergence applied herbicide (GTZ) versus untreated soil. The potential effect was monitored by direct amplification, cloning, and sequencing of the soil DNA encoding 16S rRNA, and high-throughput DNA pyrosequencing of the bacterial DNA coding for the 16S rRNA hypervariable V6 region. The results obtained using three different methods to analyze the herbicide effect on the rhizobacterial communities of genetically modified NK603 maize were comparable to those previously obtained when glyphosate-tolerant maize was grown in soil with different characteristics. Both herbicides decreased the bacterial diversity in the rhizosphere, with Actinobacteria being the taxonomic group most affected. The results suggest that both herbicides affected the structure of the maize rhizobacterial community, but glyphosate was environmentally less aggressive.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.124-130
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• 2018

Purpose: The number of glyphosate and glufosinate intoxication cases are increasing in Korea. This study was undertaken is to compare the clinical manifestations of poisoning by these two herbicides and to document severities and clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated cases of glyphosate or glufosinate intoxication among patients that visited our emergency department between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017. Incidences of intoxications were analyzed over this five year period, and underlying diseases, transportation, mental state, shock occurrence, inotropics, gastric lavage, charcoal administration, intubation and ventilator therapy, and hemodialysis were investigated. In addition, we included transfer to the intensive care unit, incidences of pneumonia and of other complications, death, and hopeless discharge. Results: There were 119 cases of glyphosate intoxication and 42 of glufosinate intoxication. Levels of consciousness were lower for glufosinate and vasopressor usage was higher due to a high shock rate (p=0.019). In addition, many patients were referred to the ICU for intubation and ventilation. The incidences of pneumonia and of other complications were significantly higher for glufosinate. Conclusion: Overall glufosinate intoxication was found to be more severe than glyphosate intoxication as determined by complication and ICU admission rates.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2006

Several methods for determining the response of corn to glyphosate were investigated to provide a fast and reliable method for identifying glyphosate-resistant corn in vivo. Two bioassays were developed. One assay is named 'whole plant / leaf growth assay', in which the herbicide glyphosate is applied on the upper part of 3rd leaf and the growth of herbicide-untreated 4th leaf is measured at 3 day after treatment. in this assay, the leaf growth of conventional corn was inhibited in a dose dependent from 50 to $1600{\mu}g/mL$ of glyphosate and growth inhibition at $1600{\mu}g/mL$ was 55% of untreated control. The assay has the potential to be used especially in the case that the primary cause of glyphosate resistance is related with a reduction of the herbicide translocation. Another assay is named 'leaf segment / shikimate accumulation assay', in which the four excised leaf segments ($4{\times}4mm$) are placed in each well of a 48-well microtiter plate containing $200{\mu}L$ test solution and the amount of shikimate is determined after incubation for 24 h in continuous light at $25^{\circ}C$. In this assay, 0.33% sucrose added to basic test solution enhanced a shikimate accumulation by 3 to 4 times and the shikimate accumulation was linearly occurred from 2 to $8{\mu}g/mL$ of glyphosate, showing an improved response to the method described by Shaner et al. (2005). The leaf segment / shikimate accumulation assay is simple and robust and has the potential to be used as a high throughput assay in the case that the primary cause of glyphosate resistance is related with EPSPS, target site of the herbicide. Taken together, these two assays would be highly useful to initially select the lines obtained after transformation, to investigate the migration of glyphosate-resistant gene into other weeds and to detect a weedy glyphosate-resistant corn in field.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1162-1169
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• 2014

Glyphosate is the active component of the top-selling herbicide, the phytotoxicity of which is due to its inhibition of the shikimic acid pathway. 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) is a key enzyme in the shikimic acid pathway. Glyphosate tolerance in plants can be achieved by the expression of a glyphosate-insensitive aroA gene (EPSPS). In this study, we used a PCR-based two-step DNA synthesis method to synthesize a new aroA gene ($aroA_{R.\;leguminosarum}$) from Rhizobium leguminosarum. In vitro glyphosate sensitivity assays showed that $aroA_{R.\;leguminosarum}$ is glyphosate tolerant. The new gene was then expressed in E. coli and key kinetic values of the purified enzyme were determined. Furthermore, we transformed the aroA gene into Arabidopsis thaliana by the floral dip method. Transgenic Arabidopsis with the $aroA_{R.\;leguminosarum}$ gene was obtained to prove its potential use in developing glyphosate-resistant crops.