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Biosensors Feb 2023Analytical methods for detecting neurotransmitters (NTs) and organophosphorus (OP) pesticides with high sensitivity are vitally necessary for the rapid identification of...
Analytical methods for detecting neurotransmitters (NTs) and organophosphorus (OP) pesticides with high sensitivity are vitally necessary for the rapid identification of physical, mental, and neurological illnesses, as well as to ensure food safety and safeguard ecosystems. In this work, we developed a supramolecular self-assembled system (SupraZyme) that exhibits multi-enzymatic activity. SupraZyme possesses the ability to show both oxidase and peroxidase-like activity, which has been employed for biosensing. The peroxidase-like activity was used for the detection of catecholamine NTs, epinephrine (EP), and norepinephrine (NE) with a detection limit of 6.3 µM and 1.8 µM, respectively, while the oxidase-like activity was utilized for the detection of organophosphate pesticides. The detection strategy for OP chemicals was based on the inhibition of acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity: a key enzyme that is responsible for the hydrolysis of acetylthiocholine (ATCh). The corresponding limit of detection of paraoxon-methyl (POM) and methamidophos (MAP) was measured to be 0.48 ppb and 15.8 ppb, respectively. Overall, we report an efficient supramolecular system with multiple enzyme-like activities that provide a versatile toolbox for the construction of sensing platforms for the colorimetric point-of-care detection of both NTs and OP pesticides.
Topics: Pesticides; Organophosphorus Compounds; Colorimetry; Ecosystem; Acetylcholinesterase; Oxidoreductases; Metals; Biosensing Techniques; Peroxidases
PubMed: 36832043
DOI: 10.3390/bios13020277 -
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry May 2021Mycotoxins and pesticides regularly co-occur in agricultural products worldwide. Thus, humans can be exposed to both toxic contaminants and pesticides simultaneously,...
Development, validation, and application of a multi-method for the determination of mycotoxins, plant growth regulators, tropane alkaloids, and pesticides in cereals by two-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.
Mycotoxins and pesticides regularly co-occur in agricultural products worldwide. Thus, humans can be exposed to both toxic contaminants and pesticides simultaneously, and multi-methods assessing the occurrence of various food contaminants and residues in a single method are necessary. A two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of 40 (modified) mycotoxins, two plant growth regulators, two tropane alkaloids, and 334 pesticides in cereals was developed. After an acetonitrile/water/formic acid (79:20:1, v/v/v) multi-analyte extraction procedure, extracts were injected into the two-dimensional setup, and an online clean-up was performed. The method was validated according to Commission Decision (EC) no. 657/2002 and document N° SANTE/12682/2019. Good linearity (R > 0.96), recovery data between 70-120%, repeatability and reproducibility values < 20%, and expanded measurement uncertainties < 50% were obtained for a wide range of analytes, including very polar substances like deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside and methamidophos. However, results for fumonisins, zearalenone-14,16-disulfate, acid-labile pesticides, and carbamates were unsatisfying. Limits of quantification meeting maximum (residue) limits were achieved for most analytes. Matrix effects varied highly (-85 to +1574%) and were mainly observed for analytes eluting in the first dimension and early-eluting analytes in the second dimension. The application of the method demonstrated the co-occurrence of different types of cereals with 28 toxins and pesticides. Overall, 86% of the samples showed positive findings with at least one mycotoxin, plant growth regulator, or pesticide.
Topics: Alkaloids; Chromatography, Liquid; Edible Grain; Food Contamination; Mycotoxins; Pesticides; Plant Growth Regulators; Reproducibility of Results; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Tropanes
PubMed: 33713146
DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03239-1 -
F1000Research 2020: Developmental delay among children under 5 years of age is a serious global public health problem and much research has been carried out to find potential causes....
: Developmental delay among children under 5 years of age is a serious global public health problem and much research has been carried out to find potential causes. Pesticides - especially organophosphates - are suspected to be one of the main causes of the problem. This study aimed to investigate the association between pesticide use by the mother during pregnancy and preschool children development using a case-control study. : Data on prenatal and postnatal pesticide exposure of 442 children with suspected developmental delay, and 413 controls with normal development were included for analysis. The children were matched for gender, age, and residency. Data on pesticide exposure were collected via interview with the mother, and data on pregnancy outcomes abstracted from hospital records. : Chlorpyrifos exposure significantly increased the risk of developmental delay with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.71 (95% CI 1.03-13.36) for ever use of the pesticide, and an OR of 5.92 (95% CI 1.01-34.68) for postnatal exposure (p <0.05). Some other pesticides also had a positive association with developmental delay but none were statistically significant (p <0.05). Those pesticides were insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, and molluscicide. Individual pesticides with a positive association were glyphosate, paraquat, butachlor, methyl parathion (pholidon), savin, methomyl, endosulfan, carbosulfan, methamidophos, monochrotofos, mancozeb, and bordeaumixture. : This case-control study found that chlorpyrifos and some other pesticides exposure during pregnancy were positively associated with developmental delay in children aged under 5 years. Further research should be conducted to better understand this potential effects of pesticides on child neurodevelopment, and the public - especially those who plan to have families - should be informed.
Topics: Case-Control Studies; Child, Preschool; Chlorpyrifos; Female; Humans; Pesticides; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Thailand
PubMed: 34557296
DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.27874.5 -
Journal of Exposure Science &... Jul 2020The use of pesticides has increased during the past decades, also increasing the risk of exposure to toxic pesticides that can cause detrimental health effects in the...
The use of pesticides has increased during the past decades, also increasing the risk of exposure to toxic pesticides that can cause detrimental health effects in the future. This is of special concern among farmers in low-to-middle-income countries that may lack proper training in the safe use of these chemicals. To assess the situation in Bolivia a cross-sectional study in three agricultural communities was performed (n = 297). Handling, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and pesticide exposure were assessed by a questionnaire and measurements of urinary pesticide metabolites (UPMs). Results showed that methamidophos (65%) and paraquat (52%) were the most commonly used pesticides and that 75% of the farmers combined several pesticides while spraying. Notably, only 17% of the farmers used recommended PPEs while 84% reported to have experienced symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning after spraying. UPM measurements indicated high levels of exposure to chlorpyrifos, pyrethroids and 2,4D and that men generally were more highly exposed compared to women. Our study demonstrates that farmers who are better at following recommendations for pesticide handling and use of PPE had a significantly lower risk of having high UPM levels of most measured pesticides. Our results thus confirm the need of proper training of farmers in low-to-middle-income countries in proper protection and pesticide handling in order to reduce exposure levels and health problems.
Topics: Adult; Agriculture; Biomarkers; Bolivia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Farmers; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Male; Occupational Exposure; Pesticides; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 30787424
DOI: 10.1038/s41370-019-0128-3 -
Journal of Insect Science (Online) Nov 2018Propylaea japonica (Thunberg) was a dominant species among the predacious ladybirds in the fields and active from March to November during a year in Fuzhou, China....
Propylaea japonica (Thunberg) was a dominant species among the predacious ladybirds in the fields and active from March to November during a year in Fuzhou, China. Stability of insecticide resistance and vitality in adult P. japonica were investigated. The field ladybird P. japonica in Fuzhou, China, showed 9- to 16-fold resistance ratios to chlorpyrifos, 13- to 2,083-fold to methamidophos, 32- to 230-fold to fenvalerate, and 4- to 49-fold to avermectins, respectively, based on the field monitoring during 2004, 2009, and 2012, as compared with insecticide-susceptible F39 progenies. The resistance levels in the field P. japonica were high during May and November but low during summer. The population growth tendency index in field P. japonica was 0.8-fold as high as that in insecticide-susceptible P. japonica. The field P. japonica also showed high tolerance to the insecticide as compared with pest Lipaphis erysimi Kaltenbach and two parasitoids Diaeretiella rapae and Pachyneuron aphidis. Stable insecticide resistance levels and high vitality were found first in adult P. japonica with 1-, 30-, or 60-d-old adults, or among the adults developed form the eggs produced by newly emerged adults or by 60-d-old adults. Increased activity of glutathione S-transferases, carboxylesterases, and cytochrome P450 monooxygenases might be involved in the resistance of P. japonica. The results indicated that, in certain areas, inclusion of P. japonica for pest control in the integrated pest management would be highly recommended.
Topics: Animals; China; Coleoptera; Insecticide Resistance; Insecticides; Seasons
PubMed: 30535415
DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iey109 -
The Science of the Total Environment Mar 2023Pesticide exposure has consistently been associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) onset. Yet, fewer epidemiologic studies have examined whether pesticides influence PD...
BACKGROUND
Pesticide exposure has consistently been associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) onset. Yet, fewer epidemiologic studies have examined whether pesticides influence PD motor and non-motor symptom progression.
OBJECTIVES
Using a geographic information system tool that integrates agricultural pesticide use reports and land use records to derive ambient exposures at residences and workplaces, we assessed associations between specific pesticides previously related to PD onset with PD symptom progression in two PD patient cohorts living in agricultural regions of California.
METHODS
We calculated the pounds of pesticide applied agriculturally near each participant's residential or occupational addresses from 1974 to the year of PD diagnosis, using a geographic information system tool that links the California Pesticide Use Reports database to land use data. We examined 53 pesticides selected a priori as they have previously been associated with PD onset. We longitudinally followed two PD patient cohorts (PEG1 N = 242, PEG2 N = 259) for an average of 5.0 years (SD ± 3.5) and 2.7 years (SD ± 1.6) respectively and assessed PD symptoms using the movement disorder specialist-administered Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale part III (UPDRS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Weighted time-to-event regression models were implemented to estimate effects.
RESULTS
Ten agricultural pesticides, including copper sulfate (pentahydrate), 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) dimethylamine salt, tribufos, sodium cacodylate, methamidophos, ethephon, propargite, bromoxynil octanoate, monosodium methanearsonate (MSMA), and dicamba, were associated with faster symptom progression. Among these pesticides, residential or workplace proximity to higher amounts of copper sulfate (pentahydrate) and MCPA (dimethylamine salt) was associated with all three progression endpoints (copper sulfate: HRs = 1.22-1.36, 95 % CIs = 1.03-1.73; MCPA: HRs = 1.27-1.35, 95 % CIs = 1.02-1.70).
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that pesticide exposure may not only be relevant for PD onset but also PD progression phenotypes. We have implicated ten specific pesticide active ingredients in faster PD motor and non-motor decline.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Pesticides; Copper Sulfate; 2-Methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic Acid; Workplace; California
PubMed: 36526213
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160851 -
Environment International Sep 2017Organophosphate insecticides (OPs) are used worldwide, yet despite nearly ubiquitous exposure in the general population, few have been studied outside the laboratory....
BACKGROUND
Organophosphate insecticides (OPs) are used worldwide, yet despite nearly ubiquitous exposure in the general population, few have been studied outside the laboratory. Fetal brains undergo rapid growth and development, leaving them susceptible to long-term effects of neurotoxic OPs. The objective here was to investigate the extent to which prenatal exposure to OPs affects infant motor development.
METHODS
30 OPs were measured in umbilical cord blood using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in a cohort of Chinese infants. Motor function was assessed at 6-weeks and 9-months using Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2nd edition (PDMS-2) (n=199). Outcomes included subtest scores: reflexes, stationary, locomotion, grasping, visual-motor integration (V-M), composite scores: gross (GM), fine (FM), total motor (TM), and standardized motor quotients: gross (GMQ), fine (FMQ), total motor (TMQ).
RESULTS
Naled, methamidophos, trichlorfon, chlorpyrifos, and phorate were detected in ≥10% of samples. Prenatal naled and chlorpyrifos were associated with decreased 9-month motor function. Scores were 0.55, 0.85, and 0.90 points lower per 1ng/mL increase in log-naled, for V-M (p=0.04), FM (p=0.04), and FMQ (p=0.08), respectively. For chlorpyrifos, scores were 0.50, 1.98, 0.80, 1.91, 3.49, 2.71, 6.29, 2.56, 2.04, and 2.59 points lower for exposed versus unexposed infants, for reflexes (p=0.04), locomotion (p=0.02), grasping (p=0.05), V-M (p<0.001), GM (p=0.007), FM (p=0.002), TM (p<0.001), GMQ (p=0.01), FMQ (p=0.07), and TMQ (p=0.008), respectively. Girls appeared to be more sensitive to the negative effects of OPs on 9-month motor function than boys.
CONCLUSIONS
We found deficits in 9-month motor function in infants with prenatal exposure to naled and chlorpyrifos. Naled is being aerially sprayed to combat mosquitoes carrying Zika virus, yet this is the first non-occupational human study of its health effects. Delays in early-motor skill acquisition may be detrimental for downstream development and cognition.
Topics: China; Chlorpyrifos; Cohort Studies; Developmental Disabilities; Female; Fetal Blood; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Insecticides; Male; Motor Skills; Naled; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
PubMed: 28602489
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.05.015 -
Confirmed organophosphorus and carbamate pesticide poisonings in South African wildlife (2009-2014).Journal of the South African Veterinary... Dec 2015During a six-year period (from January 2009 to December 2014), specimens collected from 344 cases of suspected organophosphorus and carbamate pesticide poisonings in...
During a six-year period (from January 2009 to December 2014), specimens collected from 344 cases of suspected organophosphorus and carbamate pesticide poisonings in wildlife, including birds, were submitted to the Toxicology Laboratory (ARC-OVI) for analysis. A positive diagnosis was made in 135 (39%) of these cases. The majority of cases were from birds, which included Cape vultures (Gyps coprotheres) and African white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) and bateleur eagles (Terathopius ecaudatus). In one incident 49 vultures were killed when a farmer intentionally laced carcasses with carbofuran in an attempt to control jackal predation. There were 22 incidents of poisoning in helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris). On nine different occasions blue cranes (Anthropoides paradiseus) were poisoned, in one incident 14 birds were reported to have been killed. Over the period of investigation, there were 20 cases of poisoning involving mammalian species, the majority being vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). The carbamate pesticides were responsible for 57 incidents of poisoning. Aldicarb, carbofuran and methomyl were detected in 26, 18 and 12 cases respectively. The majority of organophosphorus pesticide poisonings were caused by diazinon (n = 19), monocrotophos (n = 13) and methamidophos (n = 10).
Topics: Aldicarb; Animals; Animals, Wild; Carbofuran; Chromatography, Gas; Environmental Pollutants; Mass Spectrometry; Methomyl; Pesticides; Poisoning; South Africa
PubMed: 26824339
DOI: 10.4102/jsava.v86i1.1329 -
Toxicology Letters Dec 2014An oral dose of the organophosphate insecticide methamidophos was administered to six volunteers at the acceptable daily intake (ADI, 0.004 mg/kg). Urine was collected...
An oral dose of the organophosphate insecticide methamidophos was administered to six volunteers at the acceptable daily intake (ADI, 0.004 mg/kg). Urine was collected from the volunteers at timed intervals for 24 h post-exposure. Methamidophos itself was quantified in urine using liquid/liquid extraction and LC-MS-MS analysis (detection limit 7 nmol/L/1 μg/L). Methamidophos exhibited a rapid elimination half-life of 1.1h, (range 0.4-1.5 h). Mean metabolite levels found in 24h total urine collections (normalised for a 70 kg volunteer) were 9.2 nmol/L (range 1.0-19.1). One volunteer was anomalous; excluding this result the range was 6.7-19.1 nmol/L, with a mean of 10.9 nmol/L. Individual urine samples collected during the first 24 h ranged from below the detection limit (ND) to 237 nmol/L. The mean dose recovery excreted as methamidophos in urine was 1.1% (range 0.04-1.71%). Three environmental studies have been reported in the literature with levels ranging from ND to 66 nmol/L. The number of positive results in all three studies was low (<1.5% of total samples analyzed). When compared with our results (ND - 237 nmol/L), the studies suggest general population exposures are within the ADI. However, the very short half-life makes determining intermittent environmental exposures difficult.
Topics: Adult; Environmental Monitoring; Female; Half-Life; Humans; Insecticides; Male; Middle Aged; Organothiophosphorus Compounds; Young Adult
PubMed: 25310994
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2014.10.008 -
Environmental Health and Preventive... Feb 2018China has the world's largest tea plantation area in the world. To sustain high yields of the tea, multiple pesticides are used on tea crops to control pests....
BACKGROUND
China has the world's largest tea plantation area in the world. To sustain high yields of the tea, multiple pesticides are used on tea crops to control pests. Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are among the most widely used types of agricultural pesticides in China. As tea is a significant potential source of exposure to pesticide residues, the public concern has increased in relation to pesticide residues found in tea in China. The aim of the study was to estimate cumulative dietary exposure to OP residues from tea infusion for Chinese tea consumers to determine whether exposure to OP residues from tea infusion is a cause of health concern for tea consumers in China.
METHODS
OP residue data were obtained from the China National Monitoring Program on Food Safety (2013-2014), encompassing 1687 tea samples from 12 provinces. Tea consumption data were obtained from the China National Nutrient and Health Survey (2002), comprising 506 tea consumers aged 15-82 years. The transfer rates of residues from tea leaves into tea infusions were obtained from the literature. The relative potency factor (RPF) approach was used to estimate acute cumulative exposure to 20 OP residues from tea infusion using methamidophos as the index compound. Dietary exposure was calculated in a probabilistic way.
RESULTS
For tea consumers, the mean and the 99.9th percentile (P99.9) of cumulative dietary exposure to OP residues from tea infusion equalled 0.08 and 1.08 μg/kg bw/d. When compared with the acute reference dose (ARfD), 10 μg/kg bw/d for methamidophos, this accounts for 0.8 and 10.8% of the ARfD.
CONCLUSIONS
Even when considering OP residues from vegetables, fruits and other foods, there are no health concerns based on acute dietary exposure to OP residues from tea infusion. However, it is necessary to strengthen the management of the OP pesticides used on tea in China to reduce the risk of chronic dietary exposure to OPs from tea infusion.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; China; Dietary Exposure; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Organophosphorus Compounds; Pesticide Residues; Risk Assessment; Tea; Young Adult
PubMed: 29444637
DOI: 10.1186/s12199-018-0696-1