Oxidative Stress as a Molecular Mechanism of Exposure to Organophosphorus Pesticides: A Review

Abstract

Exposure to organophosphorus pesticides is an important public health issue due to a large number of occupationally exposed populations, as well as their effects mainly at the level of the nervous, reproductive, and immune systems. It has been reported that one of the molecular mechanisms by which adverse effects of exposure to organophosphorus pesticides can be explained is oxidative stress, which leads to alterations at the cellular level that, if chronic, could affect the functionality of different organs and tissues. These data constitute the basis of the relevant literature on its toxicity. The induction of oxidative damage, which has been referred to, increases the occurrence of processes such as eryptosis and/or hemolysis in erythrocytes that promote greater susceptibility to clinical conditions such as anemia, dehydration, and chronic kidney disease. Thus, it is mentioned that the determination of oxidative damage parameters could be useful to monitor occupationally exposed people by exploring their oxidative status. This review focuses on presenting the state of knowledge in recent years on the toxicity of organophosphorus pesticides and their relationship with the oxidative damage evaluated in erythrocytes.

Keywords: Pesticides; erythrocytes; occupationally exposed populations.; organophosphorus; oxidative damage; toxicity.