Investigation of potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cellular stability after the exposure of agricultural workers to pesticides

Abstract

Agricultural workers involved in the harvest of tobacco crops are regularly exposed to large quantities of pesticides. In order to determine how this exposure to pesticides induces genetic alterations in these workers, blood samples were obtained from 77 exposed individuals, as well as from 60 unexposed subjects. DNA damage was analyzed by the Comet assay and by the micronucleus (MN) test. The antioxidant profi le was evaluated by activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the polymorphism of gene PON1 was used as a susceptibility biomarker. The content of inorganic elements in the blood samples was determined by PIXE analysis. Our results demonstrated that the damage frequency, damage index, the MN frequency, and the SOD activity were signifi cantly elevated in the exposed relative to the unexposed group. A modulation of the MN results for the PON1 gene was observed in the exposed group. The concentrations of inorganic elements in the exposed group were higher compared to those of the unexposed group. In this study, we observed that genetic damage, and change in oxidative balance were induced by the exposure of workers to complex mixtures of pesticides in the presence of inorganic compounds, whereby an infl uence of the genotype was evident.

Telomere Length and Its Relation to Human Health

“…A study from our group observed shortening telomeres in individuals occupationally chronically exposed to low doses of pesticides at tobacco farms [33], in addition to various kinds of DNA damages already found in those individuals [81][82][83][84], corroborated by several other studies [85,86]. Pesticides are known for inducing oxidative stress [33,82,87,88], and although not all action mechanism of these chemicals are clear, induction of oxidative stress and of ROS seems to be involved.…”

Assessment of DNA damages in lymphocytes of agricultural workers exposed to pesticides by comet assay in a cross-sectional study

“…Using the comet assay, Muhammad et al (2016) showed a strong correlation (R 2 ¼ 0.91) between DNA damage in terms of tail length and the blood concentration of malathion in workers involved in pesticide manufacturing industries. Agricultural workers involved in tobacco collection are regularly exposed to large quantities of pesticides; Alves et al (2016) demonstrated, through the comet assay and micronucleus test, that genetic damage and changes in oxidative balance were induced by workers' exposure to complex mixtures of pesticides in the presence of inorganic compounds. DNA damage was investigated in the exfoliated buccal cells of workers exposed to pesticides in Guerrero, Mexico, using the comet assay and the micronucleus test: the results of the study revealed that DNA migration in the tail and the frequency of micronuclei increased significantly in the exposed group (Carbajal-L opez et al 2016).…”

Lead Poisoning Caused by Traditional Chinese Medicine: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…Toxicity may affect cell membranes by interfering with various transport and energy systems, which may shorten erythrocyte survival time and cause hemolysis. In addition, high lead levels can affect the heme synthesis pathway, resulting in the production of free erythrocyte protoporphyrins and eventual anemia (Somashekaraiah et al 1990;Verheij et al 2009;Čabarkapa et al 2015;Alves et al 2016). Moreover, lead toxicity can cause degeneration of ribosomal ribonucleic acid in erythrocytes, which can lead to the appearance of basophilic stippling on a peripheral smear (Kempe et al 2005).…”