Morphological Analysis on the Toxic Effect of Manganese on Acanthamoeba sp. Isolated from Setiu Wetland, Terengganu: An in vitro Study

Manganese (Mn) is one of the common pollutants found in aquatic environment that are difficult to destroy and very persistent in the water body. Excessive levels of Mn in the aquatic environment have threatened some of the aquatic organisms including free-living Acanthamoeba sp. In this study, Mn was assessed for its cytotoxicity and genotoxicity on Acanthamoeba sp. isolated from Setiu Wetland, Terengganu. IC50 value of Mn obtained was 24 ppm while morphological observation indicates that Acanthamoeba sp. underwent apoptotic and necrotic mode of cell death after exposure to Mn for 24 hours at 30 °C. This metal is also able to induce mild genotoxicity towards the DNA of Acanthamoeba sp.