An in vitro experimental study on the interference of glyphosate on the urease enzyme
Abstract
Purpose: Exposure to glyphosate is increasing due to the density of agricultural areas in Türkiye. In this study, the possible interference effect of glyphosate on urease, an enzyme that is frequently used in the diagnosis and follow-up of many diseases and in the measurement of urea in biological samples was examined.
Materials and Methods: First, glyphosate was observed to have a negative interference in experiments using solutions of varying concentrations of urea. Second, blood samples were examined using the urease-glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and indirect nesslerization procedures to determine the effects of glyphosate on the results before and after its addition. To determine the morphological and chemical alterations, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses were conducted, and binding patterns were established through molecular docking. Urea measurements conducted with urease-GLDH and indirect nesslerization demonstrated a negative interference on the results with glyphosate concentrations of 10–3, 10–4, and 10–5 M.
Results: Morphological changes observed in the SEM analysis were supported by the 3228.25 (O-H), 1642.08 (C=C), and 1531.20 (N-O) cm–1 bonds formed in the FTIR analysis. Furthermore, the molecular docking analysis showed that glyphosate affected the urease via hydrogen bonding (Gly13, Ser12, Lys14, Thr15, and Asp37) and hydrophobic interactions (Val10, Asp37, and Glu98). It was hypothesized that these interacting amino acids limit the accessibility of the urease’s active catalytic conformation and/or impact the stability of the catalytic transition state.
Conclusion: Glyphosate leads to negative interference in human serum urea assays, leading to incorrect test results in clinical biochemistry, microbiology, and agricultural laboratories. This effect should be considered when conducting analysis, and clinicians as well as hospital information management systems should be informed ahead of time, with special emphasis devoted to this interference.
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