Organophosphorus insecticides exposure and sex hormones in general U.S. population: A cross-sectional study

What immunology has to say about pesticide safety

The use of pesticides has enabled the development of contemporary industrial agriculture and significantly increased crop yields. However, they are also considered a source of environmental pollution and a potential hazard to human health. Despite national agencies and the scientific community analyzing pesticide safety, immunotoxicity assays are often not required, poorly designed, or underestimated. Epidemiological evidence indicates that pesticide exposure increases the risk of developing cancer. Therefore, pesticides may not only act as carcinogens per se but also as immunosuppressive agents that create a permissive context for tumor development. Given recent evidence demonstrating the critical role of the immune response in cancer progression, we will highlight the necessity of assessing the potential impacts of pesticides on the immune response, particularly on tumor immunosurveillance. In this Perspective article, we will focus on the need to critically review fundamental aspects of toxicological studies conducted on pesticides to provide a clearer understanding of the risks associated with exposure to these compounds to human health.

Serum albumin and liver dysfunction mediate the associations between organophosphorus pesticide exposure and hypertension among US adults

BACKGROUND

Human health is commonly threatened by organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) due to their widespread use and biological characteristics. However, the combined effect of mixtures of OPPs metabolites on the risk of hypertension and potential mechanism remain limited.

OBJECTIVES

To comprehensively investigate the effects between OPPs exposure on hypertension risk and explore and underlying mechanism among US general population.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study collected US adults who had available data on urine OPPs metabolites (dialkyl phosphate compounds, DAPs) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to assess the relationships of DAPs with hypertension risk. Survey-weighted logistic regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS), and mixed exposure analysis models [weighted quantile sum regression (WQS) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR)] were used to analyze individual, dose-response and combined associations between urinary DAPs metabolites and hypertension risk, respectively. Mediation analysis determined the potential intermediary role of serum albumin and liver function in the above associations.

RESULTS

Compared with the reference group, participants with the highest tertile levels of DEP, DMTP, DETP, and DMDTP experienced increased risk of hypertension by 1.21-fold (95%CI: 1.02-1.36), 1.20-fold (95%CI: 1.02-1.42), 1.19-fold (95%CI: 1.01-1.40), and 1.17-fold (95%CI: 1.03-1.43), respectively. RCS curve also showed positive exposure-response associations of individual DAPs with hypertension risk. WQS and BKMR analysis further confirmed DAP mixtures were significantly associated with increased risk of hypertension, with DEP identified as a major contributor to the combined effect. Mediation analysis indicated that serum albumin and AST/ALT ratios played crucial mediating roles in the relationships between individual and mixed urinary DAPs and the prevalence of hypertension.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provided more comprehensive and novel perspectives into the individual and combined effects of urinary OPPs matabolites on the increased risk of hypertension and the possible driving mechanism, which would be of great significance for environmental control and early prevention of hypertension.

Association between blood lipid levels in early pregnancy and urinary organophosphate metabolites in the Japan Environment and Children's Study

BACKGROUND

High low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL-C) during pregnancy have been associated with adverse pregnancy and offspring outcomes. While previous studies have suggested a potential link between organophosphate pesticide (OPP) exposure and higher LDL-C in the general population and agricultural workers, the relationship in pregnant women and the effect of body mass index on this relationship remain unclear. We examined the association between the urinary concentrations of OPP metabolites (dialkylphosphates) and blood lipid levels in pregnant women.

METHODS

We used data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, which included 5,169 pregnant women with urinary dialkylphosphate data. We examined the association between urinary concentrations of six dialkylphosphates (DEP, DETP, DEDTP, DMP, DMTP, DMDTP) and blood lipid levels (LDL-C, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides) during the first trimester using multiple linear regression under a Bayesian paradigm. We examined the association between high LDL-C, defined as ≥90th percentile of LDL-C, and urinary dialkylphosphate concentrations, using multiple logistic regression under a Bayesian paradigm. These analyses were repeated in underweight, normal-weight, and overweight participants.

RESULTS

DEP, DMP, and DMTP were detected in >50 % of the participants. Multiple linear regression analyses did not show associations between LDL-C and these dialkylphosphates. Stratified analyses showed a positive association between DEP and LDL-C in overweight women (beta coefficient = 2.13, 95 % credible interval = 0.86-3.38, probability of direction (PD) = 100 %); however, the association was not significant (percentage in region of practical equivalence (% in ROPE) = 84.0). Higher DEP was significantly associated with high LDL-C (odds ratio = 1.32, 95 % credible interval = 1.13-1.55, PD = 100 %, % in ROPE = 0.2).

CONCLUSIONS

Among overweight pregnant women in the first trimester, higher urinary DEP concentrations were associated with high LDL-C. The effects of OPP on blood lipid profiles merit further investigation.

Associations between DEET, Organophosphorus Insecticides, and Handgrip Strength in Diabetes: An NHANES Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Sarcopenia and diabetes mellitus (DM) have been shown to be related. It has been demonstrated that pesticides/insecticides are linked to various health issues, including DM. This study investigated the relationships between exposure to pesticides/insecticides and muscle strength among community-dwelling DM patients in a national sample of the United States (US).

METHODS

Data from the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) on people aged 20 years with diabetes were retrieved. A digital dynamometer was used to quantify handgrip strength, and urine pesticide concentrations were determined through laboratory testing. Regression models were used to investigate the relationship between pesticide/insecticide exposure and handgrip strength.

RESULTS

After weighting, the data from 412 NHANES participants represented 6,696,865 U.S. inhabitants. The mean age of the participants was 58.8 years. High para-nitrophenol levels (tertile 3 vs. tertile 1) were shown to be associated with lower handgrip strength in both males (aBeta = -7.25, 95% CI: -11.25, -3.25) and females (aBeta = -3.73, 95% CI: -6.89, -0.56). Further, females with elevated 2-isopropyl-4-methyl-pyrimidinol had decreased handgrip strength. Desethyl hydroxy N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) was inversely related to handgrip strength in men aged ≥60 years. DEET acid and para-nitrophenol were inversely correlated to handgrip strength in women over 60 years.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has linked certain pesticides/insecticides to decreased muscle strength in people with diabetes. Para-nitrophenol, in particular, is negatively related to muscular strength in both males and females, and 2-isopropyl-4-methyl-pyrimidinol is inversely related to muscle strength in females.

Accumulation of organophosphorus pollutants in adipose tissue of obese women - metabolic alterations

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) and organophosphate esters (OPEs) are organophosphorus compounds created as substitutes for persistent environmental pollutants, namely organochlorines pesticides and brominated flame retardants, respectively. However, there is evidence that organophosphorus compounds are also widespread across the environment and have adverse effects on biota. In humans, OPPs and OPEs were reported to be carcinogenic, neurotoxic, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, amongst others. As lipophilic compounds, these accumulate in fat tissues as adipose tissue. Yet biomonitoring studies and analytical methodologies to assess these compounds in the human body are scarce, particularly in adipose tissue. In this study, the presence of six OPPs and seven OPEs was determined in samples of subcutaneous adipose tissue (scAT) and visceral adipose tissue (vAT) from 188 adult obese women. OPPs and OPEs were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) flame photometric detection and confirmed in GC tandem mass spectrometry. The detection frequencies ranged between 0.5-1.6% and 48-53%, respectively for OPPs and OPEs. Organophosphorus pollutants were present in both adipose tissues and median concentrations were 0.008 ± 0.020 μg/g scAT and 0.009 ± 0.020 μg/g vAT. A total of 32 Spearman's correlations were found between organophosphorus pollutants concentrations in adipose tissue and several biochemical parameters (18 positive and 14 negative). Our results show that anthropometric and hormonal parameters, cholesterol, glycaemia, macrominerals, urea and sedimentation velocity might be influenced by the presence of these compounds. The presence of organophosphorus pollutants in the environmental and their possible effect on female metabolic processes is concerning. Particularly because presently OPEs usage is not controlled or limited by any regulation. More studies are needed to fully understand these pollutants behaviour and hazard effects on human health, biota, and the environment so control regulations can be drawn to prevent and lessen their effects.

Association between organophosphorus insecticides exposure and the prevalence of sleep problems in the US adults: An analysis based on the NHANES 2007-2018

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) exposure and sleep problems.

METHODS

In this study, data from 6295 participants aged 18 years or older were collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The dialkyl phosphate compounds (DAPs) metabolites, OPPs exposure biomarker, were examined using solid phase extraction-high coupled with isotope dilution-ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Data on short sleep duration (SSD), self-reported trouble sleeping and self-reported sleep disorder were collected from the database. Weighted generalized logistic model, weighted quantile sum (WQS) model, and quantile-based g calculation (QGC) methods were used for analyzing the collected data.

RESULTS

The prevalence of SSD, self-reported trouble sleeping and self-reported sleep disorder in this study were 28.91 % (1814/6274), 25.31 % (1593/6294), and 9.05 % (289/3195), respectively. After confounding factors adjustments, the prevalence of SDD in participants with high log-transformed DETP, DMTP, DEDTP, and DMDTP were 1.19 times (OR: 1.11-1.28, P < 0.001), 1.09 times (OR: 1.03-1.15, P = 0.003), 1.26 times (OR: 1.17-1.37, P < 0.0001), and 1.10 times (OR: 1.04-1.17, P = 0.003) than in participants with low showed, respectively. A non-linear relationship was noted between SSD with the urinary concentration of DEP (P for nonlinearity < 0.001), DMP (P for nonlinearity < 0.001), DMTP (P for nonlinearity = 0.006), and DMDTP (P for nonlinearity = 0.001). The WQS results showed that the prevalence of SDD was 1.28 times (95 % CI: 1.17-1.40, P < 0.001) higher in participants with high co-exposure to OPPs than in those with low co-exposure, with DEDTP having the enormous weights (0.50). The QGC results also revealed a significant positive association between the co-exposure of DAPs and SSD (OR: 1.08, 95 % CI:1.02-1.16, P = 0.01) with DETP having the most positive weight (0.44). As for the association between DAPs with self-report sleep disorder, only DEP was detected that it was positively associated with self-reported sleep disorder with all confounding factors adjusted (OR: 1.17; 95 % CI: 1.07-1.29, P = 0.001). However, all DAPs have not detected a significant association with the prevalence of self-reported trouble sleeping. Besides, there was no significant association between co-exposure to OPPs with self-reported trouble sleeping and self-reported sleep disorder.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study indicated that high levels of single or mixture urinary DAP, indicating for OPPs exposure, were associated with an increased prevalence of SSD in general adults, which has significant implications for preventing OPPs pollution and protecting sleep health.

Dissecting the Enantioselective Neurotoxicity of Isocarbophos: Chiral Insight from Cellular, Molecular, and Computational Investigations

Chiral organophosphorus pollutants are found abundantly in the environment, but the neurotoxicity risks of these asymmetric chemicals to human health have not been fully assessed. Using cellular, molecular, and computational toxicology methods, this story is to explore the static and dynamic toxic actions and its stereoselective differences of chiral isocarbophos toward SH-SY5Y nerve cells mediated by acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and further dissect the microscopic basis of enantioselective neurotoxicity. Cell-based assays indicate that chiral isocarbophos exhibits strong enantioselectivity in the inhibition of the survival rates of SH-SY5Y cells and the intracellular AChE activity, and the cytotoxicity of (S)-isocarbophos is significantly greater than that of (R)-isocarbophos. The inhibitory effects of isocarbophos enantiomers on the intracellular AChE activity are dose-dependent, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC₅₀) of (R)-/(S)-isocarbophos are 6.179/1.753 μM, respectively. Molecular experiments explain the results of cellular assays, namely, the stereoselective toxic actions of isocarbophos enantiomers on SH-SY5Y cells are stemmed from the differences in bioaffinities between isocarbophos enantiomers and neuronal AChE. In the meantime, the modes of neurotoxic actions display that the key amino acid residues formed strong noncovalent interactions are obviously different, which are related closely to the molecular structural rigidity of chiral isocarbophos and the conformational dynamics and flexibility of the substrate binding domain in neuronal AChE. Still, we observed that the stable "sandwich-type π-π stacking" fashioned between isocarbophos enantiomers and aromatic Trp-86 and Tyr-337 residues is crucial, which notably reduces the van der Waals' contribution (ΔG_vdW) in the AChE-(S)-isocarbophos complexes and induces the disparities in free energies during the enantioselective neurotoxic conjugations and thus elucidating that (S)-isocarbophos mediated by synaptic AChE has a strong toxic effect on SH-SY5Y neuronal cells. Clearly, this effort can provide experimental insights for evaluating the neurotoxicity risks of human exposure to chiral organophosphates from macroscopic to microscopic levels.

Microbial Detoxification of Residual Pesticides in Fermented Foods: Current Status and Prospects

The treatment of agricultural areas with pesticides is an indispensable approach to improve crop yields and cannot be avoided in the coming decades. At the same time, significant amounts of pesticides remain in food and their ingestion causes serious damage such as neurological, gastrointestinal, and allergic reactions; cancer; and even death. However, during the fermentation processing of foods, residual amounts of pesticides are significantly reduced thanks to enzymatic degradation by the starter and accompanying microflora. This review concentrates on foods with the highest levels of pesticide residues, such as milk, yogurt, fermented vegetables (pickles, kimchi, and olives), fruit juices, grains, sourdough, and wines. The focus is on the molecular mechanisms of pesticide degradation due to the presence of specific microbial species. They contain a unique genetic pool that confers an appropriate enzymological profile to act as pesticide detoxifiers. The prospects of developing more effective biodetoxification strategies by engaging probiotic lactic acid bacteria are also discussed.

Dietary Inflammatory Index and Its Association with the Prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease among 45,306 US Adults

Inflammation plays a pivotal in the occurrence and development of coronary heart disease (CHD). We aim to investigate the association between the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) and CHD in the present study. In this cross-sectional study, adult participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1999-2018) were enrolled. The social demographic information, lifestyle factors, blood biochemical measurements, dietary information, and CHD status of all the participants were systematically collected. Multivariable logistic regression was adopted to investigate the association between the risk of CHD and the DII. Besides, restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis was used to explore whether there was a nonlinear association of the DII and CHD. Subgroup analysis stratified by sex, age, race/ethnicity, and BMI was conducted to evaluate the association of the DII and CHD among different populations. A total of 45,306 adults from NHANES (1999-2018) were included. Compared with individuals without CHD, the DIIs of the participants with CHD were significantly elevated. A positive association was observed between the DII and CHD in multivariable logistic analysis after adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education levels, smoking, drinking, diabetes, hypertension, and body mass index (BMI). Results of RCS analysis suggested a nonlinear relationship between the DII and CHD. In addition, the increment of the DII had a greater impact on female individuals compared with male individuals. The DII is closely associated with the risk of CHD. For better prevention and treatment of CHD, more attention should be paid to controlling dietary inflammation.