The Broad-snouted Caiman (Caiman latirostris): A Model Species for Environmental Pesticide Contamination Assessment Through Molecular Markers

Abstract

Caiman latirostris, commonly known as the broad-snouted caiman, is considered to be a sentinel organism to evaluate the effect induced by different pesticides, since many populations living in the north-central region of Argentina are located in the vicinity of areas with high agricultural activity. To date, most of the biomarkers used to identify the impact of pesticides on this species include markers of DNA damage, oxidative damage to DNA and lipids, imbalances in antioxidant enzymes and immunological alterations. The possibility of applying gene expression markers in C. latirostris will allow the understanding of the specific significance of many pesticide-induced alterations observed through the aforementioned traditional biomarkers. The aim of this chapter is to present the usefulness of these molecular markers applied in C. latirostris blood to shed some more light on many physiological alterations caused by pesticides and previously detected by traditional toxicological biomarkers.