1. A Th2-type immune response and low-grade systemic inflammatory reaction as potential immunotoxic effects in intensive agriculture farmers exposed to pesticides.
- Author
-
Lozano-Paniagua D, Parrón T, Alarcón R, Requena M, Lacasaña M, and Hernández AF
- Subjects
- Humans, Cytokines blood, Th2 Cells immunology, Adult, Male, Middle Aged, Female, Pesticides toxicity, Occupational Exposure adverse effects, Farmers, Agriculture, Inflammation chemically induced
- Abstract
Pesticides are chemicals widely used in agriculture to keep crops healthy and prevent them from being destroyed by pests, thus contributing to a sustainable food and feed production. However, long-term exposure to these compounds may be harmful to human health as they can affect the function of various organs systems, including the immune system. There is growing evidence that pesticides may increase the risk of developing immune-based diseases and inflammation. This study assessed whether greenhouse farmers occupationally exposed to pesticides presented alterations in immunoregulatory proteins, used as surrogate biomarkers of immune function. The study population consisted of 175 greenhouse workers occupationally exposed to pesticides and 91 non-exposed controls. Serum levels of 27 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors were measured using a magnetic bead-based immunoassay in a subpopulation of 111 greenhouse workers and 79 non-exposed controls. Since analytical determinations were performed in two periods of the same crop season with different use of pesticides (period of high and low pesticide exposure), linear mixed models for repeated measures were used to optimize statistical inference. The increase in IL-13, IL-4 and IL-6 observed in greenhouse workers compared to controls, and in the period of high exposure to pesticides relative to that of low exposure, suggest an altered Th1/Th2 balance towards the Th2 response. This finding points to a type-2 inflammation commonly presented as allergic inflammation, which has often been reported in farm-workers and in which pesticide exposure is considered a risk factor. Furthermore, the increase in IL-1β and VEGF, mediators of inflammation and angiogenesis, may suggest a low-grade systemic inflammation that might underlie chronic pathological conditions linked to pesticide exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF