Urinary pesticide mixture patterns and exposure determinants in the adult population from the Netherlands and Switzerland: Application of a suspect screening approach

Electromembrane Extraction in Suspect Screening of Polar Organic Xenobiotics and their Metabolites in Human Urine: A New Approach to Enhance Compound Annotation?

Suspect and nontarget screening (SNTS) methodologies using human urine are invaluable strategies for understanding the human exposome. However, very polar organic compounds are often overlooked in those methods due to challenges in sample preparation and chromatographic analysis. Although "dilute-and-shoot" (DS) followed by mixed-mode liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (MMLC-HRMS) might be deemed suitable, complementary strategies are needed to enhance SNTS and expand compound identification. In this context, the potential of nonsupported microelectromembrane extraction (μ-EME) is thoroughly studied as a supplement to DS-MMLC-HRMS. It was demonstrated that μ-EME-MMLC-HRMS enables the refinement of suspect screening results from a 24 h pooled human urine sample. The selective extraction capability of μ-EME for charged analytes, compared to DS, allowed the identification of 24 false positives and 4 false negatives. The confidence level of 6 suspects was also enhanced through μ-EME interpretation. Moreover, nine suspects were identified exclusively in μ-EME experiments due to the urine cleanup provided by that technique. Notably, suspects containing carboxylic acid groups (phase II metabolites) and amines were particularly well-annotated by μ-EME employing selective extraction conditions for acids and bases, respectively. Thus, μ-EME proves to be a confirmatory dimension in MMLC-based SNTS approaches.

Exposure to organophosphates, pyrethroids, neonicotinoids, and pentachlorophenol: Spatial variations in urinary biomarkers and associations with oxidative stress based on a repeated-measure study

It is important to identify priority regions regarding contaminant exposure, especially for environmental epidemiological studies. Whereas very few studies explored spatial variations in concentrations of multiple insecticide metabolites in the general population, as well as their relationship with oxidative stress biomarkers (OSBs). We determined related target analytes in urine samples (n = 850) from 425 healthy adults in six cities of China during both autumn and winter. Eight organophosphorus metabolites (mOPPs), three pyrethroid metabolites (mPYRs), nine neonicotinoid insecticide metabolites (mNNIs), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were detected in the urine samples. Additionally, linear mixed-effects model and weighted quantile sum model were used to assess the individual and combined effects of the insecticide exposure on selected OSBs. Altogether, 17 out of the 21 analytes were widely detected (73.1-100%). The median specific gravity (SG)-adjusted concentrations for the mOPPs, mPYRs, mNNIs, and PCP were 1.17-4.85, 0.45-0.79, 0.09-1.07, and 0.38 ng/mL, respectively. The mOPPs in Lanzhou (northwest China), mPYRs and mNNIs in Dalian (northeast China), and PCP in Chengdu (southwest China) had the highest concentrations among the six cities. The concentrations of the mNNIs and PCP in urban areas were significantly higher than those in rural areas, while the concentrations of some mOPPs and mPYRs were higher in rural areas. The concentrations of most analytes were higher in autumn than in winter. Hazard quotient of >1 for chlorpyrifos was observed in 9.2% of the study participants, suggested a potential health risk, while the estimated daily intake values of the other analytes were lower than their chronic reference doses. Many of the insecticide exposure biomarkers were significantly associated with increased OSBs; among them, each interquartile range-fold increase in the insecticide exposure biomarkers was associated with 5.4-19.0%, 4.6-19.4%, and 12.4-83.3% increase in 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, 8-hydroxy guanosine, and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-mercapturic acid, respectively. P-Nitrophenol was the main contributor in the association with the increased OSBs. This study found significant variations in insecticide exposure levels among different regions and seasons. The exposure level of chlorpyrifos suggested a potential health risk, and the insecticide mixture exposure was significantly associated with increased OSBs. Further risk assessments are warranted and control measures in the insecticide use are needed to mitigate the potential health risks.

Development of a unified method for the determination of legacy and metabolites of current pesticides in serum for exposure assessment

The use of pesticides is often regarded as a fundamental aspect of conventional agriculture. However, these compounds have gained recognition as some of the oldest and most widely employed xenobiotic contaminants, necessitating effective strategies for human biomonitoring. In this context, a method was developed for the determination of 16 legacy organochlorine pesticides, 6 metabolites of current pesticides (2,4-D, malathion, parathion, fipronil, pyraclostrobin, cypermethrin, permethrin, cyfluthrin), and 1 triazine herbicide (atrazine) in serum. Samples were prepared with water, formic acid, acetonitrile, and ultrasound irradiation, followed by solid-phase extraction with Oasis Prime HLB. Subsequently, metabolites from current pesticides underwent derivatization using MTBSTFA with 1% TBDMSCl for analysis via gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS), employing an SLB-5MS fused silica capillary column. Analytical curves were generated with limits of quantification from 0.3 to 4.0 ng.mL-1. Accuracy ranged from 69 to 124%, and the coefficient of variation from 2 to 28%. Moreover, determining 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-1H-pyrazol-3-ol was suggested as a biomarker for pyraclostrobin biomonitoring. This analytical approach facilitated the determination of both legacy and metabolites of current pesticides in the same serum sample, presenting an interesting and cost-effective option for large cohorts, and multi-omics studies that evaluate time-dependent biomarkers in blood samples, thereby enabling biomonitoring within the same matrix. Furthermore, a proof-of-concept involving 10 volunteers demonstrated exposure to 9 pesticides at mean concentrations measured in ng mL-1, consistent with findings from various biomonitoring initiatives.

Is exposure to pesticides associated with biological aging? A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for various diseases, yet its association with biological aging remains unclear. We aimed to systematically investigate the relationship between pesticide exposure and biological aging.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were searched from inception to August 2023. Observational studies investigating the association between pesticide exposure and biomarkers of biological aging were included. Three-level random-effect meta-analysis was used to synthesize the data. Risk of bias was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

Twenty studies evaluating the associations between pesticide exposure and biomarkers of biological aging in 10,368 individuals were included. Sixteen reported telomere length and four reported epigenetic clocks. Meta-analysis showed no statistically significant associations between pesticide exposure and the Hannum clock (pooled β = 0.27; 95 %CI: -0.25, 0.79), or telomere length (pooled Hedges'g = -0.46; 95 %CI: -1.10, 0.19). However, the opposite direction of effects for the two outcomes showed an indication of possible accelerated biological aging. After removal of influential effect sizes or low-quality studies, shorter telomere length was found in higher-exposed populations.

CONCLUSION

The existing evidence for associations between pesticide exposure and biological aging is limited due to the scarcity of studies on epigenetic clocks and the substantial heterogeneity across studies on telomere length. High-quality studies incorporating more biomarkers of biological aging, focusing more on active chemical ingredients of pesticides and accounting for potential confounders are needed to enhance our understanding of the impact of pesticides on biological aging.