Neurotoxicity of Insecticides.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Human exposure to insecticides raises serious public health concerns worldwide. Insecticides constitute a wide-ranging heterogeneous group of chemicals, most of which target the nervous system and disrupt neurometabolism and/or neurotransmission. Although the acute effects of insecticide poisoning in humans are well documented, the chronic and long-term effects remain difficult to investigate.

OBJECTIVES AND METHOD:

We sought to review the present state-of-knowledge of acute, chronic, neurodevelopmental and neurological consequences of human exposure to insecticides.

RESULTS:

Animal and epidemiologic studies indicate cognitive, behavioral and psychomotor alterations in mammals chronically exposed to insecticides. Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and depression, have been regularly associated with insecticide exposure. Clinical studies, supported by experiments on animal models, demonstrate the neurotoxic impact of insecticide exposure during the period of cerebral development, the developing brain being particularly vulnerable to the action of insecticides. Moreover, detoxifying systems that are highly polymorph lead to great inter-individual variability in susceptibility to the neurotoxic effects of insecticides.

CONCLUSION:

Studies on mild chronic exposure to insecticides suggest significant involvement in the pathogenesis of multifactorial neurological diseases. However, the tardive appearance of neurodegenerative disorders and the large variability of inter-individual susceptibility to neurotoxicants make it difficult to assess the relative contribution of insecticide exposure. Close vigilance should therefore be exercised with regard to possible exposure to insecticides, particularly during the period of cerebral development.

• Authors: Julien Cassereau, Marc Ferré, Arnaud Chevrollier, Philippe Codron, Christophe Verny, Chadi Homedan, Guy Lenaers, Vincent Procaccio, Pascale May-Panloup, Pascal Reynier
• Journal: Current medicinal chemistry (Curr Med Chem) Vol. 24 Issue 27 Pg. 2988-3001 ( 2017) ISSN: 1875-533X [Electronic] United Arab Emirates
• PMID: 28552054 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at [email protected].

Chemical References

• Insecticides
• Organophosphates

Topics

• Animals
• Genetic Predisposition to Disease
• Humans
• Insecticides (chemistry, toxicity)
• Nervous System (drug effects, metabolism)
• Neurodegenerative Diseases (etiology)
• Neurons (drug effects, metabolism)
• Organophosphates (chemistry, toxicity)