Pesticides exposure in pregnant Argentinian women: Potential relations with the residence areas and the anthropometric neonate parameters

Endosulfan promotes cell growth, migration and invasion via CCL5/CCR5 axis in MCF-7 cells

Endosulfan, recognized as an endocrine disruptor, has emerged as an important risk factor for human breast cancer. The chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) and its receptor CCR5 constitute a biological axis, that is implicated in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, the role of the CCL5/CCR5 axis in breast cancer when exposure to endosulfan remains unclear. The present study aimed to determine the significance of the CCL5/CCR5 axis in the carcinogenic effects of endosulfan in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The results showed that endosulfan significantly promoted cell proliferation, increased the rate of colony formation, and enhanced cell migration ability in a dose-dependent manner by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which were rescued by the specific inhibitor (LY-294002) for PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. We utilized Cytoscape software to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network when exposure to endosulfan, and identified 47 highly connected genes in the network diagram centered on CCL5. Endosulfan significantly increased the secretion of CCL5 and the expression levels of CCL5/CCR5, which were reversed by CCR5 inhibitor (HY-13004). HY-13004 significantly counteracted the effects of endosulfan on colony formation, cell migration and the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Endosulfan markedly altered the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) biomarkers and enhanced transwell migration and invasion capabilities of MCF-7 cells, which were inhibited by HY-13004, similar to the effects observed with LY-294002. Collectively, our findings suggest that endosulfan activates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to promote cell growth, and induces EMT, thereby enhancing cell migration and invasion via the CCL5/CCR5 axis in MCF-7 cells.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), Current Use Pesticides (CUPs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible marine invertebrates from a Patagonian harbor

Despite their global ban in 2001, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) remain detectable in marine species, posing ongoing environmental and health risks. Current use pesticides (CUPs) like chlorpyrifos and chlorothalonil, along with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), also contaminate coastal areas, affecting human health. This study assessed POPs, CUPs and PAHs in bivalves, gastropods, polychaetes, crustaceans, and echinoderms from an Atlantic Patagonian harbor. Concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) ranged from Collapse

Key Words

• Atlantic Patagonia
• Coastal environment
• Marine invertebrates
• Organic pollutants
• Risk assessment

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MESH Headings

• Animals
• Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons/analysis
• Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis
• Environmental Monitoring
• Pesticides/analysis
• Persistent Organic Pollutants
• Aquatic Organisms
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls/analysis
• Invertebrates
• Halogenated Diphenyl Ethers/analysis
• Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated/analysis

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Affiliation(s)

M A Primost Universidad Tecnológica Nacional Facultad Regional Chubut, (UTN-FRCH), Grupo de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Acuicultura y Pesca (GIDTAP), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina.
M A Chierichetti Grupo Ecotoxicología y Contaminación Ambiental, IIMyC, CONICET-UNMDP, Mar del Plata, Argentina
C Castaños Universidad Tecnológica Nacional Facultad Regional Chubut, (UTN-FRCH), Grupo de Investigación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Acuicultura y Pesca (GIDTAP), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
G Bigatti Laboratorio de Reproducción y Biología Integrativa de Invertebrados Marinos (LARBIM), Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR) (CCT-CONICET CENPAT), Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina; Universidad Espíritu Santo, Ecuador
K S B Miglioranza Grupo Ecotoxicología y Contaminación Ambiental, IIMyC, CONICET-UNMDP, Mar del Plata, Argentina

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The mother-offspring transfer of chlorothalonil through human breast milk: A multi-city cross-sectional study

4-Hydroxychlorothalonil (4-OH CHT), the main metabolite of chlorothalonil and the most widely used fungicide, has been frequently detected in human samples during monitoring. 4-OH CHT may exhibit higher toxicity and persistence in the environment compared to its prototype. In this study, a total of 540 paired serum and breast milk samples from pregnant women in three provinces in China were monitored for contaminant residues. 4-OH CHT was analyzed in the samples using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography - high-resolution mass spectrometry with a detection limit of 20 ng/L. The study investigated the effects of demographic factors, such as BMI, region of residence, and education level, on the levels of 4-OH CHT residues in serum and breast milk. Among the three provinces, the highest median concentration of 4-OH CHT in serum samples was observed in Hebei (1.04 × 103 ng/L), while the highest median concentration of 4-OH CHT in breast milk samples was observed in Hubei and Guangdong (491 ng/L). Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the significant positive correlation between 4-OH CHT in serum and breast milk (p = 0.000) after adjusting for personal characteristics. Based on this, the study further explored the influencing factors of transfer efficiencies (TEs) in conjunction with the individual TEs and the personal characteristics of the participants. Our results demonstrated that the age of the volunteers and their exercise habits had an effect on TEs, but further studies are needed to determine whether exercise leads to an increase in TEs.

Exposure to atrazine and endosulfan alters oviductal adenogenesis in the broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris)

The molecular pathways involved in oviductal adenogenesis are highly conserved among vertebrates. In this work, we study the histomorphological changes and molecular pathways involved in Caiman latirostris oviductal adenogenesis and the effects of in ovo exposure to environmentally relevant doses of endosulfan (END) and atrazine (ATZ) on these processes. To this end, the histomorphological changes at epithelial and subepithelial compartments, the protein expressions of β-catenin and Wnt-7a, and the gene expression of metalloproteinases (MMPs) and its inhibitors (TIMPs) were evaluated as biomarkers of oviductal adenogenesis in prepubertal juvenile C. latirostris. Exposure to END altered adenogenesis-related epithelium characteristics and mRNA expression of MMP2, MMP9, and TIMP1. Exposure to ATZ increased the width of the subepithelial stroma with loosely arranged collagen fibers and increased β-catenin expression in buds (invaginated structures that precede glands). The results demonstrate that in ovo exposure to ATZ and END alters oviductal adenogenesis at tissue, cellular, and molecular levels. An altered oviductal adenogenesis could impair fertility, raising concern on the effects of pesticide pollution in wildlife and domestic animals.

Pesticide residues in agricultural end-products and risk assessment for consumers in North China

This study investigated pesticide residues in market-sold vegetables and fruits in Hebei Province, China, over 5 years (2018-2022). A modified QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged, and Safe) method was applied to gas chromatography with triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS/MS). The analytical methods were validated with respect to matrix effect (ME), recovery rate (78.9~105.5%), limit of quantitation (LOQ, 2.93~9.73 μg/kg), and linear correlation coefficient (0.9982~0.9997). Residues of 10 pesticides in 12 categories of vegetable and fruit were detected. 31.9% of the samples were detected pesticide residues; 15.5% of samples were detected multi-component pesticide residues. Twenty-seven positive detections of pesticide residues exceeded the corresponding maximum residue limit (MRL), accounting for 2.33%. The most types of pesticide residues were detected in cherry, with the number of 7. Procymidone was the most detected pesticide, and it was detected in 8 categories of samples. The hazard index (HI) of omethoate was the highest and the procymidone was the lowest. The HI of all the vegetables and fruits were less than 100%. The effects of pesticide residues are within an acceptable range for human. Adequate attention and further monitoring are still needed.