Exposure to pesticides and oxidative stress in Brazilian agricultural communities

Abstract

Background

Oxidative stress may be an important mechanism linking pesticide exposure to several diseases. We evaluated the association between pesticide exposures and oxidative stress biomarkers in Brazilian agricultural workers.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthy agricultural (N = 52) and non-agricultural workers (N = 68) in a rural community in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Regular pesticide use, sociodemographic, and lifestyle information was obtained by questionnaire. Oxidative stress biomarkers (N = 7) were measured in serum and plasma. We calculated percent differences and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in oxidative stress biomarkers for use of pesticides adjusted for sex, age, education, smoking, and alcohol consumption, using multiple linear regression.

Results

Living close to or in the fields was associated with glutathione peroxidase activity but not with any other markers. We observed significant positive associations between 8-isoprostane levels and activities of glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione-S-transferase with reported use of certain insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. Our results also indicate a significant and negative association between glutathione-S-transferase activity and insecticide use.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that use of pesticides may be associated with differences in oxidative stress biomarkers.

Keywords:

• Pesticides
• oxidative stress
• biomarkers
• cross-sectional study

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, A.S.E.S., upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [Z01-ES049030]. A.S.E.S. was funded by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Brazil [grant no. 88881.134001/2016-01] and Rio de Janeiro State Foundation to Support Research (FAPERJ), Grant Number: E-26/110693/2012, Brazil. A.M. was funded by Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Brazil [grant no. 2478/2015-03] and Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) [grants no. 307495/2015-9 and 309152/2018-6].