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Biosensors Jul 2022To produce a sensitive monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the simultaneous detection of carbofuran, benfuracarb, carbosulfan and 3-hydroxy-carbofuran,...
To produce a sensitive monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the simultaneous detection of carbofuran, benfuracarb, carbosulfan and 3-hydroxy-carbofuran, 2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-7-benzofuranmethanamine (DDB) was conjugated to bovine serum albumin (BSA) to prepare the immunogen DDB-BSA and mice were immunized. Coating antigens were prepared by conjugating DDB and 5-methoxy-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran-3-acetic acid (MDA) to BSA and ovalbumin (OVA), respectively. Furthermore, the effect of different antibody-antigen pairs on the sensitivity of ELISA and LFIA methods for the detection of carbofuran was investigated. After the immunization, a high-affinity mAb 13C8 was obtained. The ability of the coating antigen to compete with carbofuran for binding antibodies was found to be significantly different between ELISA and LFIA methods. With the antibody-antigen pair 13C8-MDA-OVA, the IC values of the ELISA and QD-LFIA methods for carbofuran were 0.18 ng/mL and 0.67 ng/mL, respectively. The cross-reactivity (CR) values of the two methods for benfuracarb, carbosulfan and 3-hydroxy-carbofuran ranged from 72.0% to 83.7%, while, for other carbamate pesticides, the CR values were less than 1%. The spiked recoveries of carbofuran in vegetables by the QD-LFIA method were 83-111%, with a coefficient of variation below 10%, and the test results of the actual samples were consistent with the HPLC-MS method. Overall, this study provides key materials for the development of immunoassays for carbofuran and its analogues, and the antibody-antigen pair selection strategy established in this study provides useful insights for the development of sensitive immunoassays for other compounds.
Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antigens; Carbofuran; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Immunoassay; Mice; Pesticides
PubMed: 35892457
DOI: 10.3390/bios12080560 -
Industrial Health Jul 2008Carbosulfan an acaricide was orally administrated at 48 mg/kg body weight/day to female swiss albino mice for 5, 10, 20 and 30 d. Daily vaginal smear and body weight was...
Carbosulfan an acaricide was orally administrated at 48 mg/kg body weight/day to female swiss albino mice for 5, 10, 20 and 30 d. Daily vaginal smear and body weight was recorded. The mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation after 24 h of terminal exposure to carbosulfan. The results of the present study indicated that there was a significant decrease in the number of estrous cycle and phases with a concomitant increase in the length of the estrous cycle and diestrus phase with carbosulfan treatment for 10, 20, and 30 d. There was a significant decrease in the weight of the ovary, uterus, number of healthy follicles and increase in the number of atretic follicles with 20 and 30 d carbosulfan treatment when compared with the control. There was a significant decrease in the level of sialic acid with an increase in the level of cholesterol by carbosulfan treatment for 20 and 30 d. The decreased level of sialic acid indicates the decreased level of circulating FSH/LH. The ovary 3beta HSD activity decreased significantly with 20 and 30 d carbosulfan exposure mice indicating its effect on steroidogenesis, when compared to controls. The above findings may be due to direct effect on the ovary or on the gonadotrophins secretion via central nervous mechanism in mice.
Topics: Animals; Carbamates; Estrous Cycle; Female; Mice; Organ Size; Ovarian Follicle; Ovary; Uterus
PubMed: 18544880
DOI: 10.2486/indhealth.46.210 -
Life (Basel, Switzerland) Apr 2023The use of agrochemicals has become a standard practice worldwide to ensure the productivity and quality of sugarcane crops. This study aimed to analyze the metabolic...
The use of agrochemicals has become a standard practice worldwide to ensure the productivity and quality of sugarcane crops. This study aimed to analyze the metabolic changes in sugarcane culms treated with five different nematicides. The experimental design was randomized in blocks, and agro-industrial and biometric variables were evaluated. The samples were extracted and then analyzed using LC-MS, LC-MS/MS, and LC-HRMS. The data obtained were submitted to statistical methods (PCA and PLS). Fragmentation patterns, retention time, and UV absorptions of the main features were analyzed. The plantations treated with carbosulfan (T4) obtained higher agricultural productivity and total recoverable sugar (TRS), while the use of benfuracarb (T3) was associated with lower growth and lower TRS. Statistical analysis revealed the contribution of the features at / 353 and / 515, assigned as chlorogenic acids, which discriminated the groups. The MS profile also supported the occurrence of flavonoids (C-glycosides and O-glycosides) in the samples.
PubMed: 37109563
DOI: 10.3390/life13041034 -
The Lancet. Global Health Jun 2021Pesticide poisoning is among the most common means of suicide globally, but can be prevented with regulation of the most hazardous agents. We aimed to compare the... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
BACKGROUND
Pesticide poisoning is among the most common means of suicide globally, but can be prevented with regulation of the most hazardous agents. We aimed to compare the lethality of pesticides ingested by our cohort, seek evidence on variation between human and regulatory animal toxicity, and establish change over time in the case fatality of individual pesticides in Sri Lanka.
METHODS
We examined the case fatality of agricultural pesticides in a prospective cohort in nine hospitals serving rural populations in Sri Lanka. We included all patients (>11 years) who had presented to a South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration study hospital during the study period. Patients were enrolled by clinical research assistants and were regularly reviewed. Identification of the ingested pesticide was generally on the basis of history or positive identification of the container, supported by nested blood analysis.
FINDINGS
From March 31, 2002, to Dec 31, 2019, 34 902 patients (median age 29 years [IQR 21-40]; 23 060 [66·1%] male) presented with a possible or known pesticide self-poisoning. We identified 23 139 specific pesticides that were ingested. Poisoning was fatal in 2299 (6·6%) patients. Case fatality varied greatly from 0·0% (several substances) to 41·8% (paraquat). The three most toxic agents (ie, paraquat, dimethoate, and fenthion) were banned between 2008 and 2011. Since 2013, the five agents causing the most deaths (ie, profenofos, propanil, fenobucarb, carbosulfan, and quinalphos) had a case fatality of 7·2-8·6%. A steady decline was seen in overall case fatality of pesticide poisoning (10·5% for 2002-06 to 3·7% for 2013-19), largely attributable to pesticide bans. A modest fall in case fatality for non-banned pesticides was also seen.
INTERPRETATION
Declines seen in case fatalities of poisonings with non-banned pesticides suggest that medical management improved over time. The human data for acute toxicity of pesticides should drive hazard classifications and regulation. We believe that a global benchmark for registration of pesticides should include a less than 5% case fatality after self-poisoning, which could prevent many deaths and have a substantial effect on global suicide rates.
FUNDING
The Wellcome Trust and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
TRANSLATIONS
For the Sinhala and Tamil translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
Topics: Adult; Female; Humans; Male; Pesticides; Prospective Studies; Sri Lanka; Suicide, Completed; Young Adult
PubMed: 33901424
DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00086-3 -
Foods (Basel, Switzerland) Feb 2023Pesticide residues in grain products are a major issue due to their comprehensive and long-term impact on human health, and quantitative modeling on the degradation of...
Pesticide residues in grain products are a major issue due to their comprehensive and long-term impact on human health, and quantitative modeling on the degradation of pesticide residues facilitate the prediction of pesticide residue level with time during storage. Herein, we tried to study the effect of temperature and relative humidity on the degradation profiles of five pesticides (carbendazim, bensulfuron methyl, triazophos, chlorpyrifos, and carbosulfan) in wheat and flour and establish quantitative models for prediction purpose. Positive samples were prepared by spraying the corresponding pesticide standards of certain concentrations. Then, these positive samples were stored at different combinations of temperatures (20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C) and relative humidity (50%, 60%, 70%, 80%). Samples were collected at specific time points, ground, and the pesticide residues were extracted and purified by using QuEChERS method, and then quantified by using UPLC-MS/MS. Quantitative model of pesticide residues was constructed using Minitab 17 software. Results showed that high temperature and high relative humidity accelerate the degradation of the five pesticide residues, and their degradation profiles and half-lives over temperature and relative humidity varied among pesticides. The quantitative model for pesticide degradation in the whole process from wheat to flour was constructed, with R above 0.817 for wheat and 0.796 for flour, respectively. The quantitative model allows the prediction of the pesticide residual level in the process from wheat to flour.
PubMed: 36832863
DOI: 10.3390/foods12040788 -
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 -
Chimia Oct 2016Malaria is a vector-borne and life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The...
Malaria is a vector-borne and life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. The vector control insecticide market represents a small fraction of the crop protection market and is estimated to be valued at up to $500 million at the active ingredient level. Insecticide resistance towards the current WHOPES-approved products urgently requires the development of new tools to protect communities against the transmission of malaria. The evaluation of commercial products for malaria vector control is a viable and cost effective strategy to identify new malaria vector control products. Several examples of such spin-offs from crop protection insecticides are already evidencing the success of this strategy, namely pirimiphos-methyl for indoor residual sprays and spinosad, diflubenzuron, novaluron, and pyriproxifen for mosquito larvae control, a supplementary technology for control of malaria vectors. In our study the adulticidal activities of 81 insecticides representing 23 insecticidal modes of action classes, 34 fungicides from 6 fungicidal mode of action classes and 15 herbicides from 2 herbicidal modes of action classes were tested in a newly developed screening system. WHOPES approved insecticides for malaria vector control consistently caused 80-100% mortality of adult Anopheles stephensi at application rates between 0.2 and 20 mg active ingradient (AI) litre. Chlorfenapyr, fipronil, carbosulfan and endosulfan showed the expected good activity. Four new insecticides and three fungicides with promising activity against adult mosquitoes were identified, namely the insecticides acetamiprid, thiamethoxam, thiocyclam and metaflumizone and the fungicides diflumetorin, picoxystrobin, and fluazinam. Some of these compounds certainly deserve to be further evaluated for malaria vector control. This is the first report describing good activity of commercial fungicides against malaria vectors.
Topics: Agrochemicals; Animals; Fungicides, Industrial; Herbicides; Insect Vectors; Insecticides; Malaria; Mosquito Control
PubMed: 27779931
DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2016.721 -
BMC Public Health May 2020Sri Lanka has reduced its overall suicide rate by 70% over the last two decades through means restriction, through a series of government regulations and bans removing...
BACKGROUND
Sri Lanka has reduced its overall suicide rate by 70% over the last two decades through means restriction, through a series of government regulations and bans removing highly hazardous pesticides from agriculture. We aimed to identify the key pesticide(s) now responsible for suicides in rural Sri Lanka to provide data for further pesticide regulation.
METHODS
We performed a secondary analysis of data collected prospectively during a cluster randomized controlled trial in the Anuradhapura district of Sri Lanka from 2011 to 16. The identity of pesticides responsible for suicides were sought from medical or judicial medical notes, coroners' records, and the person's family. Trend analysis was done using a regression analysis with curve estimation to identify relative importance of key pesticides.
RESULTS
We identified 337 suicidal deaths. Among them, the majority 193 (57.3%) were due to ingestion of pesticides while 82 (24.3%) were due to hanging. A specific pesticide was identified in 105 (54.4%) of the pesticide suicides. Ingestion of carbosulfan or profenofos was responsible for 59 (56.2%) of the suicides with a known pesticide and 17.5% of all suicides. The increasing trend of suicides due to carbosulfan and profenofos over time was statistically significant (R square 0.846, F 16.541, p 0.027).
CONCLUSION
Ingestion of pesticides remains the most important means of suicides in rural Sri Lanka. The pesticides that were once responsible for most pesticide suicides have now been replaced by carbosulfan and profenofos. Their regulation and replacement in agriculture with less hazardous pesticides will further reduce the incidence of both pesticide and overall suicides in rural Sri Lanka.
Topics: Agriculture; Carbamates; Eating; Government Regulation; Humans; Organothiophosphates; Pesticides; Prospective Studies; Rural Population; Sri Lanka; Suicide
PubMed: 32450831
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-08871-7 -
Clinical Toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) Sep 2016Highly hazardous organophosphorus (OP) insecticides are responsible for most pesticide poisoning deaths. As they are removed from agricultural practice, they are often...
BACKGROUND
Highly hazardous organophosphorus (OP) insecticides are responsible for most pesticide poisoning deaths. As they are removed from agricultural practice, they are often replaced by carbamate insecticides of perceived lower toxicity. However, relatively little is known about poisoning with these insecticides.
METHODS
We prospectively studied 1288 patients self-poisoned with carbamate insecticides admitted to six Sri Lankan hospitals. Clinical outcomes were recorded for each patient and plasma carbamate concentration measured in a sample to confirm the carbamate ingested.
FINDINGS
Patients had ingested 3% carbofuran powder (719), carbosulfan EC25 liquid (25% w/v, 389), or fenobucarb EC50 liquid (50% w/v, 127) formulations, carbamate insecticides of WHO Toxicity Classes Ib, II, and II, respectively. Intubation and ventilation was required for 183 (14.2%) patients while 71 (5.5%) died. Compared with carbofuran, poisoning with carbosulfan or fenobucarb was associated with significantly higher risk of death [carbofuran 2.2%; carbosulfan 11.1%, OR 5.5 (95% CI 3.0-9.8); fenobucarb 6.3%, OR 3.0 (1.2-7.1)] and intubation [carbofuran 6.1%; carbosulfan 27.0%, OR 5.7 (3.9-8.3); fenobucarb 18.9%, OR 3.6 (2.1-6.1)]. The clinical presentation and cause of death did not differ markedly between carbamates. Median time to death was similar: carbofuran 42.3 h (IQR 5.5-67.3), carbosulfan 21.3 h (11.5-71.3), and fenobucarb 25.3 h (17.3-72.1) (p = 0.99); no patients showed delayed onset of toxicity akin to the intermediate syndrome seen after OP insecticide poisoning. For survivors, median duration of intubation was 67.8 h (IQR 27.5-118.8) with no difference in duration between carbamates. Reduced GCS at presentation was associated with worse outcome although some patients with carbosulfan died after presentation with normal GCS.
CONCLUSIONS
We did not find carbamate insecticide self-poisoning to vary markedly according to the carbamate ingested although the case fatality varied according to the concentration and formulation of the insecticide. Carbamate poisoning did not appear to be much less toxic than poisoning with some liquid OP insecticide formulations, e.g., chlorpyrifos EC40, that we have previously noted in these same hospitals (Lancet 2005, 366:1452-1459; QJM 2006, 99:513-522). Replacement of WHO Class II Toxicity OP insecticides in agriculture with high-strength liquid carbamate formulations may not substantially reduce case fatality after pesticide poisoning and, therefore, global suicide rates.
Topics: Animals; Carbamates; Cohort Studies; Humans; Insecticides; Lethal Dose 50; Molecular Structure; Mortality; Poisoning; Prospective Studies; Sri Lanka; Suicide; Treatment Outcome; Suicide Prevention
PubMed: 27252029
DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2016.1187735 -
Toxics Nov 2023The skin sensitization potential of agrochemicals can be assessed using laboratory methods such as the keratinocyte activation assay so that their use in regulatory...
The skin sensitization potential of agrochemicals can be assessed using laboratory methods such as the keratinocyte activation assay so that their use in regulatory toxicology might replace experimental animal testing. Here, we evaluated the skin sensitization potential of 11 agrochemicals by using an antioxidant response element-nuclear factor erythroid 2 luciferase assay in KeratinoSens and LuSens cells and applying a skin sensitization adverse outcome pathway (AOP). The KeratinoSens and LuSens assays consistently evaluated the skin sensitization potential of 10/11 agrochemicals with reference to animal testing databases. Benomyl, pretilachlor, fluazinam, terbufos, butachlor, and carbosulfan were correctly detected as sensitizers, and glufosinate ammonium, oxiadiazon, tebuconazole, and etofenprox were correctly detected as non-sensitizers. For diazinon, the skin sensitizing potential was positive in the KeratinoSens assay but not in the LuSens assay. These results suggest that the evaluation of in vitro skin sensitization using the AOP mechanism can be applied to assess active agrochemicals.
PubMed: 38133374
DOI: 10.3390/toxics11120973