Lab assays find Ganges water extracts show mutagenic and genotoxic effects

Laboratory testing found that solvent extracts of Ganges River water containing pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, phenolic substances, siloxanes and hormone-disrupting agents produced mutagenic, DNA-damaging and plant-growth effects in a 2026 study published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry detected spironolactone, nalmefene, desmethylverapamil, bisphenol B, aminopterin and minocycline in hexane and chloroform extracts of the sampled water. The research combined chemical profiling with bacterial and plant bioassays and computer modelling; it assessed laboratory responses to mixtures rather than health outcomes in people exposed to the river.

The study’s bacterial tests detected a concentration-dependent mutagenic response in the Ames Salmonella reversion assay. The measured reversion response exceeded twice the spontaneous reversion frequency in the reported test conditions. Chloroform extracts generated a significantly stronger response with strain TA98 than with strain TA100, which the authors interpreted as evidence that frameshift mutagens were prevalent among the test samples.

DNA-repair-deficient Escherichia coli K-12 mutants also declined in survival after six hours of exposure. The recA and lexA mutants were more sensitive than their wild-type counterparts, providing further evidence of DNA-damaging potential. Because the assays tested mixed solvent extracts, they did not establish which individual contaminant produced each response or how the compounds interacted.

Plant assays showed effects on cell division, chromosomes and early growth. In Allium cepa, or onion, the mitotic index decreased from 51.63% to 20.62% across the tested concentration range, while the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities increased from 2.33% to 26.17%. The study’s highlights specifically reported chromosomal aberrations reaching 26.17% at 100% extract concentration.

In Vigna radiata, or mung bean, seeds exposed to the extracts showed reduced germination and seedling growth. Root-tip damage was also observed, and confocal microscopy detected reduced viability in root cells. These measurements indicate inhibition of plant growth and cellular injury under the assay conditions, but they do not by themselves identify the mechanism responsible for every observed effect.

Computational analysis complemented the laboratory results by examining possible molecular interactions. Docking calculations followed by 100-nanosecond molecular-dynamics simulations indicated stable binding between selected contaminants and molecular targets involved in nucleotide biosynthesis, DNA replication, topological regulation and cell division. The models therefore identified plausible routes through which the bioactive compounds might interfere with DNA-related processes and mitosis.

Stable interactions in a simulation remain predictions that require biological confirmation: the analysis did not demonstrate that the compounds reached the corresponding targets in living organisms or that any single interaction caused the effects seen in the bacterial and plant assays. Taken together, the results provide convergent evidence that the tested Ganges River water extracts contain chemically diverse emerging contaminants with mutagenic, genotoxic and phytotoxic activity in the selected laboratory systems. The research scope is limited to chemical identification, controlled bioassays and computational modelling of sampled water extracts.

It did not directly measure human exposure, clinical effects or the distribution of contaminants throughout the river, and its findings should not be interpreted as evidence that drinking untreated river water causes illness.

Subject of Research: Laboratory assessment of mutagenic, genotoxic and phytotoxic effects of emerging contaminants in Ganges River water extracts.

Article Title: Cyto-genotoxic potential and in silico analysis of emerging contaminants of the Ganges River water

Article References: Akhtar, S., & Malik, A. (2026). Cyto-genotoxic potential and in silico analysis of emerging contaminants of the Ganges River water. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 198(11), Article 1235. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-026-16073-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s10661-026-16073-8

Keywords: Ganges River, emerging contaminants, mutagenicity, genotoxicity, Ames assay, DNA repair, chromosomal abnormalities, plant growth inhibition, molecular docking, molecular dynamics, Cyto-genotoxic, potential