Toxic effects of pesticides on cellular and humoral immunity: an overview

Abstract

People are exposed to pesticides through food, drinking water, and the environment. These compounds are associated with several disorders, such as inflammatory diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and a condition related to metabolic syndrome. The immunotoxicants or immunotoxic compounds can cause a wide variety of effects on immune function, altering humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity, resulting in adverse effects to the body. Here, immune system disorders are highlighted because they are closely linked to multiple organs, including the nervous, endocrine, reproductive, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, leading to transient or permanent changes. Therefore, this study reviewed the mechanisms involved in the immunotoxicity of fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides in cells, animals, and humans in the past 11 years. According to the studies analyzed, the pesticides interfere with innate and adaptive immune functions, but the effects observed mainly on cellular and humoral immunity were highlighted. These compounds affected specific immune cells, causing apoptosis, changes in factor nuclear kappa B (NF-κB) expression, pro-inflammatory factors interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), chemokines (CXCL-c1c), and anti-inflammatory factor, such as interleukin 10 (IL-10). To verify the threats of these compounds, new evaluations with immunotoxicological biomarkers are necessary.

Highlights

• Pesticides interfere with the innate and adaptive immune response.

• Cells, animals and human studies demonstrate the immunotoxicity of pesticides in the cellular and humoral immune response.

• Fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides alter the immune system by various mechanisms, such as pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors.

Keywords:

• Pesticide
• immunotoxicity
• immune system
• immune cells
• immune alteration
• in vitro
• animal
• human

Disclosure statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the support of Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).