Comparative cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of commercial glyphosate-based herbicide formulations and co-formulants in human leukocyte and hepatocyte cell lines

Sherif, Moustafa and Nemmar, Abderrahim and Ali, Bassam R. and Makame, Khadija and Nagy, Károly and Ádám, Balázs (2026) Comparative cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of commercial glyphosate-based herbicide formulations and co-formulants in human leukocyte and hepatocyte cell lines. Frontiers in Toxicology, 8. ISSN 2673-3080

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Abstract

Background: Risk assessments usually test active ingredients but not full commercial formulations. We compared cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of three glyphosate-based herbicides (Roundup Mega, Glyfos, Fozat-480) and two co-formulants (ROKAmin SR22, EMPIGEN BB) in human HL60 (leukocyte) and HepG2 (hepatocyte) cells. Methods: Cells were exposed for 1 h to increasing concentrations (0.1–10,000 µM depending on formulation). Cytotoxicity was measured by propidium iodide staining; genotoxicity was assessed by the alkaline comet assay (tail DNA %, tail length, tail moment, Olive tail moment). Positive (100 µM H2O2) and negative controls were included. Data are means of three independent experiments. Results:Cytotoxicity occurred at lower concentrations in HL60 than HepG2. Roundup Mega and Glyfos produced the strongest genotoxic responses; Roundup Mega increased tail length in HL60 from 0.1 µM, while Glyfos produced consistent genotoxicity in HepG2 from 100 µM. Co-formulants alone showed limited genotoxicity, though ROKAmin SR22 induced DNA% in tail at higher concentrations. Genotoxic effects often occurred at sub-cytotoxic concentrations. Conclusion:Commercial GBH formulations can be more genotoxic than the active ingredient alone; formulation composition influences potency and target- cell sensitivity. These results support formulation-specific testing to improve human health risk assessment.

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