Abstract
The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay was evaluated as a potential tool to detect the ecotoxicity induced by nitrofurazone in marine ciliate,
Euplotes vannus. The data revealed a reduction in viability of the test ciliates with increasing nitrofurazone concentration in the range of 0–24
mg
l
−1 and time of exposure from 24 to 96
h. The nitrofurazone treated ciliates were subjected to DNA damage analysis by RAPD assay. Among the 33 test RAPD primers used in this study, 11 primers with 60–70% GC content produced unique polymorphic band patterns. A total of 213 bands of 155–3317
bp in molecular size range were observed in the untreated cells. In comparison with the control ciliates, the nitrofurazone treated groups showed differences in RAPD profiles with respect to the band intensity, disappearance of bands and appearance of new bands of amplified DNA. The variation of RAPD profiles showed both the time- and concentration-dependent relationships. The data suggested significant genomic template instability, which corresponds well with the viability of the test ciliates. Thus the results demonstrated the potential of the RAPD assay for application as a powerful tool for detecting genotoxicity induced by fishy drugs in aquatic environment.