Parkinson's disease and brain levels of organochlorine pesticides

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have suggested an etiologic relationship between pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease (PD). Organochlorine pesticides were assayed in postmortem brain samples from 20 PD, 7 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 14 nonneurological control cases. The three groups were similar in age at death, sex, and demographic variables. Only two of 16 pesticide residues screened were detected. A long-lasting residue of DDT (pp-DDE) was found in the majority of cases of PD and AD, as well as in all the control cases; pp-DDT was significantly more likely to be found in AD controls than the PD cases (Fisher's exact two-tailed, p = 0.04). Dieldrin was detected in 6 of 20 PD brains, 1 of 7 AD, and in none of 14 control samples. Despite the relatively small number of brains assayed, the association between Dieldrin and the diagnosis of PD was highly significant (p = 0.03). Dieldrin, a lipid-soluble, long-lasting mitochondrial poison, should be investigated as a potential etiological agent of Parkinsonism.

Epidemiology and etiology of Parkinson’s disease: a review of the evidence

“…In a postmortem study that compared levels of highly persistent organochlorines more PD cases than controls had detectable levels of dieldrin (p value 0.03) in the frontal or occipital cortex [326]. Another postmortem study reported higher levels of both dieldrin and lindane in PD cases than controls in the substantia nigra [327].…”

Disruption of dopamine transport by DDT and its metabolites

“…These findings are supported by numerous animal studies that have identified potential mechanistic links between pesticides and PD pathogenesis (Betarbet et al, 2000;Bloomquist et al, 2002;Caudle et al, 2005;Hatcher et al, 2007;Kitazawa et al, 2001Kitazawa et al, , 2003McCormack et al, 2005;Miller et al, 1999;Purkerson-Parker et al, 2001;Richardson et al, 2006;Thiruchelvam et al, 2003). Additionally, higher levels of pesticides have been identified in post-mortem PD brains versus age-matched controls (Corrigan et al, 1998(Corrigan et al, , 2000Fleming et al, 1994;Pennell et al, 2006).…”

“…We selected a range of concentrations that were relevant to, or slightly higher than, the levels to which humans may have been exposed (Chu et al, 2003;Corrigan et al, 1998Corrigan et al, , 2000Fleming et al, 1994). This same approach, utilized in our dieldrin exposure studies, resulted in several pathological changes that were comparable to those seen in PD (Hatcher et al, 2007).…”

Dinâmica da fronteira agrícola do Mato Grosso e implicações para a saúde

“…Segundo Ascherio et al (2006), agricultores, familiares e vizinhança apresentam um risco até 70% maior de desenvolverem a doença de Parkinson. No cérebro dos doentes têm sido encontrados níveis bastante superiores de moléculas de cloro do que no cérebro de pessoas saudáveis (Fleming et al, 1994). Elas derivam da exposição aguda e ou prolongada a inseticidas organoclorados, como DDT, BHC, Aldrin, Endrin e Endosulfan, largamente usados na fronteira agrícola amazônica (Carneiro et al, 2012).…”