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Mohd Ghazi R, Nik Yusoff NR, Abdul Halim NS, Wahab IRA, Ab Latif N, Hasmoni SH, Ahmad Zaini MA, Zakaria ZA. Health effects of herbicides and its current removal strategies. Bioengineered 2023; 14:2259526. [PMID: 37747278 PMCID: PMC10761135 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2023.2259526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The continually expanding global population has necessitated increased food supply production. Thus, agricultural intensification has been required to keep up with food supply demand, resulting in a sharp rise in pesticide use. The pesticide aids in the prevention of potential losses caused by pests, plant pathogens, and weeds, but excessive use over time has accumulated its occurrence in the environment and subsequently rendered it one of the emerging contaminants of concern. This review highlights the sources and classification of herbicides and their fate in the environment, with a special focus on the effects on human health and methods to remove herbicides. The human health impacts discussion was in relation to toxic effects, cell disruption, carcinogenic impacts, negative fertility effects, and neurological impacts. The removal treatments described herein include physicochemical, biological, and chemical treatment approaches, and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Also, alternative, green, and sustainable treatment options were discussed to shed insight into effective treatment technologies for herbicides. To conclude, this review serves as a stepping stone to a better environment with herbicides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rozidaini Mohd Ghazi
- Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan - Jeli Campus, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Nik Raihan Nik Yusoff
- Faculty of Earth Science, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan - Jeli Campus, Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Nurzila Ab Latif
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
| | - Siti Halimah Hasmoni
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
| | | | - Zainul Akmar Zakaria
- Department of Bioprocess and Polymer Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
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The effect of low doses of chlorpyrifos on blood and bone marrow cells in Wistar rats. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol 2022; 73:223-232. [PMID: 36226822 PMCID: PMC9837532 DOI: 10.2478/aiht-2022-73-3665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the genotoxic potential of low doses of chlorpyrifos (CPF) on blood and bone marrow cells in adult male Wistar rats. CPF was administered by oral gavage at daily doses of 0.010, 0.015, and 0.160 mg/kg of body weight (bw) for 28 consecutive days. Positive control (PC) was administered 300 mg/kg bw/day of ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS) for the final three days of the experiment. Toxic outcomes of exposure were determined with the in vivo micronucleus (MN) assay and alkaline comet assay. The 28-day exposure to the 0.015 mg/kg CPF dose, which was three times higher than the current value of acute reference dose (ARfD), reduced body weight gain in rats the most. The in vivo MN assay showed significant differences in number of reticulocytes per 1000 erythrocytes between PC and negative control (NC) and between all control groups and the groups exposed to 0.015 and 0.160 mg/kg bw/day of CPF. The number of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes per 2000 erythrocytes was significantly higher in the PC than the NC group or group exposed to 0.015 mg/kg bw/day of CPF. CPF treatment did not significantly increase primary DNA damage in bone marrow cells compared to the NC group. However, the damage in bone marrow cells of CPF-exposed rats was much higher than the one recorded in leukocytes, established in the previous research. Both assays proved to be successful for the assessment of CPFinduced genome instability in Wistar rats. However, the exact mechanisms of damage have to be further investigated and confirmed by other, more sensitive methods.
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Usman M, Priya K, Pandit S, Gupta P. Cancer risk and nullity of Glutathione-S-transferase mu and theta 1 in occupational pesticide workers. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2021; 23:932-945. [PMID: 34375184 DOI: 10.2174/1389201022666210810092342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
Abstract
Occupational exposure to pesticides has been associated with adverse health conditions, including genotoxicity and cancer. Nullity of GSTT1/GSTM1 increases the susceptibility of pesticide workers to these adverse health effects due to lack of efficient detoxification process created by the absence of these key xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. However, this assertion does not seem to maintain its stance at all the time; some pesticide workers with the null genotypes do not present the susceptibility. This suggests the modulatory role of other confounding factors, genetic and environmental conditions. Pesticides, aggravated by the null GSTT1/GSTM1, cause genotoxicity and cancer through oxidative stress and miRNA dysregulation. Thus, the absence of these adverse health effects together with the presence of null GSTT1/GSTM1 genotypes demands further explanation. Also, understanding the mechanism behind the protection of cells - that are devoid of GSTT1/GSTM1 - from oxidative stress constitutes a great challenge and potential research area. Therefore, this review article highlights the recent advancements in the presence and absence of cancer risk in occupational pesticide workers with GSTT1 and GSTM1 null genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Usman
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, KP-III, Greater Noida- 201310 [U.P.], India
| | - Kanu Priya
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, KP-III, Greater Noida- 201310 [U.P.], India
| | - Soumya Pandit
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, KP-III, Greater Noida- 201310 [U.P.], India
| | - Piyush Gupta
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Basic Sciences and Research, Sharda University, KP-III, Greater Noida- 201310 [U.P.], India
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Wahyuni EA, Lin HD, Lu CW, Kao CM, Chen SC. The cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of single and combined fenthion and terbufos treatments in human liver cells and zebrafish embryos. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 758:143597. [PMID: 33221015 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism of genotoxicity of the individual and combined pesticides of terbufos and fenthion were evaluated using HepG2 cells and zebrafish embryos. We determined genotoxicity by neutral comet assay and phosphorylation of H2AX (γH2AX), which indicated that cells treated with terbufos and/or fenthion caused DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The combination of these pesticides at the equimolar concentration (40 μM) exhibited less toxicity, genotoxicity, and did not impact DNA homologous recombination (HR) repair activity compare to terbufos or fenthion alone treatment. In HepG2 cells, terbufos, fenthion and their combination decreased only Xrcc2 expression (one of DNA HR repair genes). Moreover, the combined pesticides decreased Xrcc6 expression (one of DNA non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair genes). In addition, only terbufos or fenthion decreased XRCC2 protein expression, while Ku70 was impacted in all of the treated cells irrespective of up or down regulation. In zebrafish embryos, only fenthion impaired HR genes (Rad51 and Rad18) expression at 24 h. After 48 h exposure to pesticides, the combined pesticides elevated HR genes (Rad51 and Xrcc2) expression while terbufos or fenthion inhibited the expression of these four genes (Rad51, Rad18, Xrcc2, Xrcc6). In addition, the hatching rate of zebrafish embryos with fenthion or the combined pesticide at 72 hpf was significantly impaired. Collectively, terbufos and/or fenthion in combining caused DSBs in HepG2 cells and zebrafish embryos. Moreover, the specific mechanism of combined pesticide both HepG2 and zebrafish embryos revealed antagonism interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Ari Wahyuni
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Jhongli, Taiwan; Department of Natural Science Education, University of Trunojoyo Madura, East Java, Indonesia
| | - Heng-Dao Lin
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Jhongli, Taiwan
| | - Che-Wei Lu
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Jhongli, Taiwan
| | - Chih Ming Kao
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
| | - Ssu-Ching Chen
- Department of Life Sciences, National Central University, Jhongli, Taiwan.
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Franchini V, De Sanctis S, Marinaccio J, De Amicis A, Coluzzi E, Di Cristofaro S, Lista F, Regalbuto E, Doria A, Giovenale E, Gallerano GP, Bei R, Benvenuto M, Masuelli L, Udroiu I, Sgura A. Study of the effects of 0.15 terahertz radiation on genome integrity of adult fibroblasts. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2018; 59:476-487. [PMID: 29602275 DOI: 10.1002/em.22192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The applications of Terahertz (THz) technologies have significantly developed in recent years, and the complete understanding of the biological effects of exposure to THz radiation is becoming increasingly important. In a previous study, we found that THz radiation induced genomic damage in fetal fibroblasts. Although these cells demonstrated to be a useful model, exposure of human foetuses to THz radiation is highly improbable. Conversely, THz irradiation of adult dermal tissues is cause of possible concern for some professional and nonprofessional categories. Therefore, we extended our study to the investigation of the effects of THz radiation on adult fibroblasts (HDF). In this work, the effects of THz exposure on HDF cells genome integrity, cell cycle, cytological ultrastructure and proteins expression were assessed. Results of centromere-negative micronuclei frequencies, phosphorylation of H2AX histone, and telomere length modulation indicated no induction of DNA damage. Concordantly, no changes in the expression of proteins associated with DNA damage sensing and repair were detected. Conversely, our results showed an increase of centromere-positive micronuclei frequencies and chromosomal nondisjunction events, indicating induction of aneuploidy. Therefore, our results indicate that THz radiation exposure may affect genome integrity through aneugenic effects, and not by DNA breakage. Our findings are compared to published studies, and possible biophysical mechanisms are discussed. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:476-487, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Franchini
- Scientific Department, Army Medical Center, Rome, Italy
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Elisa Coluzzi
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Elisa Regalbuto
- Scientific Department, Army Medical Center, Rome, Italy
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Doria
- Radiation Sources Laboratory, ENEA Frascati Research Center, Frascati, Italy
| | - Emilio Giovenale
- Radiation Sources Laboratory, ENEA Frascati Research Center, Frascati, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Bei
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Monica Benvenuto
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Translational Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Masuelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome, Italy
| | - Ion Udroiu
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre", Rome, Italy
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Kaur K, Kaur R. Occupational Pesticide Exposure, Impaired DNA Repair, and Diseases. Indian J Occup Environ Med 2018; 22:74-81. [PMID: 30319227 PMCID: PMC6176703 DOI: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_45_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Pesticides are a mixture of chemical substances used to kill pests. Apart from their toxicity to pests, thy affect nontarget organisms. They also generate free radicals producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can disturb cellular pathways by inhibiting various enzymes or receptors. Pesticides also induce oxidative DNA damage, DNA adducts, and single or double strand DNA breaks. Various mechanisms of DNA repair deal with such damages and help to maintain cell integrity. Alteration in DNA repair genes modulates the individual's susceptibility towards DNA repair and various diseases. Biological monitoring provides a useful tool for the estimation of genetic risk in populations exposed to pesticides. Large numbers of evidences show that occupational exposure to pesticides in agricultural workers has been associated with an increased incidence of various diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, reproductive disorders, and birth defects. In this review, we have discussed occupational pesticide exposure, various mechanisms of DNA damage caused by pesticides, DNA repair mechanisms, biomonitoring tools, and various diseases caused by pesticide exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karashdeep Kaur
- Department of Biotechnology, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India
| | - Rupinder Kaur
- Department of Biotechnology, Sri Guru Granth Sahib World University, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India
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Udroiu I, Sgura A. Genotoxic sensitivity of the developing hematopoietic system. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2015; 767:1-7. [PMID: 27036061 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2015.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Genotoxic sensitivity seems to vary during ontogenetic development. Animal studies have shown that the spontaneous mutation rate is higher during pregnancy and infancy than in adulthood. Human and animal studies have found higher levels of DNA damage and mutations induced by mutagens in fetuses/newborns than in adults. This greater susceptibility could be due to reduced DNA repair capacity. In fact, several studies indicated that some DNA repair pathways seem to be deficient during ontogenesis. This has been demonstrated also in murine hematopoietic stem cells. Genotoxicity in the hematopoietic system has been widely studied for several reasons: it is easy to assess, deals with populations cycling also in the adults and may be relevant for leukemogenesis. Reviewing the literature concerning the application of the micronucleus test (a validated assay to assess genotoxicity) in fetus/newborns and adults, we found that the former show almost always higher values than the latter, both in animals treated with genotoxic substances and in those untreated. Therefore, we draw the conclusion that the genotoxic sensitivity of the hematopoietic system is more pronounced during fetal life and decreases during ontogenic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ion Udroiu
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy.
| | - Antonella Sgura
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Rome, Italy
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Schaumburg LG, Poletta GL, Siroski PA, Mudry MD. Spontaneous genetic damage in the tegu lizard (Tupinambis merianae): The effect of age. MUTATION RESEARCH-GENETIC TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MUTAGENESIS 2014; 766:5-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2014.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Revised: 03/15/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Genomic and phenotypic alterations of the neuronal-like cells derived from human embryonal carcinoma stem cells (NT2) caused by exposure to organophosphorus compounds paraoxon and mipafox. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:905-26. [PMID: 24413757 PMCID: PMC3907846 DOI: 10.3390/ijms15010905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Revised: 12/08/2013] [Accepted: 12/17/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Historically, only few chemicals have been identified as neurodevelopmental toxicants, however, concern remains, and has recently increased, based upon the association between chemical exposures and increased developmental disorders. Diminution in motor speed and latency has been reported in preschool children from agricultural communities. Organophosphorus compounds (OPs) are pesticides due to their acute insecticidal effects mediated by the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, although other esterases as neuropathy target esterase (NTE) can also be inhibited. Other neurological and neurodevelopmental toxic effects with unknown targets have been reported after chronic exposure to OPs in vivo. We studied the initial stages of retinoic acid acid-triggered differentiation of pluripotent cells towards neural progenitors derived from human embryonal carcinoma stem cells to determine if neuropathic OP, mipafox, and non-neuropathic OP, paraoxon, are able to alter differentiation of neural precursor cells in vitro. Exposure to 1 μM paraoxon (non-cytotoxic concentrations) altered the expression of different genes involved in signaling pathways related to chromatin assembly and nucleosome integrity. Conversely, exposure to 5 μM mipafox, a known inhibitor of NTE activity, showed no significant changes on gene expression. We conclude that 1 μM paraoxon could affect the initial stage of in vitro neurodifferentiation possibly due to a teratogenic effect, while the absence of transcriptional alterations by mipafox exposure did not allow us to conclude a possible effect on neurodifferentiation pathways at the tested concentration.
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Kaur R, Kaur S, Lata M. Evaluation of DNA damage in agricultural workers exposed to pesticides using single cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay. INDIAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS 2012; 17:179-87. [PMID: 22345990 PMCID: PMC3276987 DOI: 10.4103/0971-6866.92100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pesticides are used in agriculture to protect crops, but they pose a potential risk to farmers and environment. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relation between the occupational exposure to various pesticides and the presence of DNA damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples of 210 exposed workers (after a day of intense spraying) and 50 control subjects belonging to various districts of Punjab (India) were evaluated using Comet assay. Sixty workers who showed DNA damage were selected for follow up at 5-6 months after the first sampling during a low or null spraying period. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in DNA damage between freshly exposed workers and controls and freshly exposed and followed up cases. There was significant increase in the comet parameters viz. mean comet tail length and frequency of cells showing migration in exposed workers as compared to controls (72.22 ± 20.76 vs. 46.92 ± 8.17, P<0.001; 31.79 vs. 5.77, P<0.001). In the second samples, followed up cases showed significant decrease in frequency of damaged cells as compared to freshly exposed workers of first sampling (P<0.05). The confounding factors such as variable duration of pesticide exposure, age, smoking, drinking and dietary habits etc which were expected to modulate the damage, were instead found to have no significant effect on DNA fragmentation. CONCLUSION: The evidence of a genetic hazard related to exposure resulting from the intensive use of pesticides stresses the need for educational programs for agricultural workers to reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raminderjeet Kaur
- Department of Human Biology, Punjabi University, Patiala-147 002, Punjab, India
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Rojas-García AE, Sordo M, Vega L, Quintanilla-Vega B, Solis-Heredia M, Ostrosky-Wegman P. The role of paraoxonase polymorphisms in the induction of micronucleus in paraoxon-treated human lymphocytes. ENVIRONMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MUTAGENESIS 2009; 50:823-829. [PMID: 19402156 DOI: 10.1002/em.20492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Human paraoxonase-1 (PON1) is a high-density lipoprotein-associated enzyme that has a role in the detoxification of organophosphorus compounds by hydrolyzing the bioactive oxons. PON1 polymorphims are responsible, at least in part, for the variation in the catalytic activity and expression of the enzyme and have been associated with susceptibility to organophosphorus pesticide toxicity, mainly neurotoxicity. The aim of this study was to determine whether paraoxon induced micronuclei and to examine the role of PON1 polymorphism in paraoxon's genotoxic potential. First, dose finding cytogenetic experiments were performed on lymphocyte cultures from three donors and a range of paraoxon concentration (1-25 microM) were tested. In a second set of experiments, 5 microM paraoxon was added to blood cultures of 11 donors with two different PON1 haplotypes (PON T(-108)M(55)Q(192) with low activity and haplotype PON C(-108)L(55) R(192) with high activity, referred to as PON1QQ and as PON1 RR, respectively). Because PON1 is present in blood, the effect of adding 5 microM paraoxon and 70 microl of autologous plasma to lymphocyte cultures also was examined. Paraoxon had no effect on cell viability, but caused a significant dose-dependent increase in MN frequency. The basal MN frequencies were similar on QQ and RR genotypes. A significant difference was observed in the MN frequency only in lymphocytes from individuals with the QQ genotype treated with 5 microM paraoxon and the autologous plasma did not modify these effects. The results obtained in this study suggest that PON1 genotype might have an important role in the identification of individuals at risk for cancer development due to occupational exposure to pesticides.
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Simoniello MF, Kleinsorge EC, Scagnetti JA, Grigolato RA, Poletta GL, Carballo MA. DNA damage in workers occupationally exposed to pesticide mixtures. J Appl Toxicol 2009; 28:957-65. [PMID: 18636400 DOI: 10.1002/jat.1361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Pesticides are used in agriculture to protect crops but represent at the same time a potential risk to farmers and environment. The aim of this work is the evaluation of 54 subjects occupationally exposed to pesticides and 30 subjects as a control group using the quantification of DNA damage level by means of the alkaline Comet assay and the evaluation of repair processes. Damage index Comet assay (DICA) and damage index repair assay (DIRA) were studied in 27 pesticide applicator workers, 27 non-pesticide applicators and controls. Our results show that both exposed groups revealed significant increase in DICA when compared with controls (P < 0.0001), as well as in DIRA (P < 0.0001). However, the spraying group exhibited a marginally significant difference in DICA (P = 0.05) when years of exposure are considered and a significant difference (P < 0.05) when the personal protective equipment used by individuals was taken as a comparison factor. The influence of confounding factors on the genotoxic effects of occupational exposure to pesticides was investigated and no significant differences were observed considering age, gender, smoking and alcohol consumption in relation to DICA and DIRA. Since DNA damage is an important step in events leading from carcinogen exposure to cancer disease, our study highlights the potential health risk associated with agrochemical exposure in developing countries with vast cultivated areas, such as Argentina.
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Affiliation(s)
- M F Simoniello
- Cátedra de Toxicología, Farmacología y Bioquímica Legal, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina
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