Pesticide Pollution: Detrimental Outcomes and Possible Mechanisms of Fish Exposure to Common Organophosphates and Triazines

Abstract

Pesticides are well known for their high levels of persistence and ubiquity in the environment, and because of their capacity to bioaccumulate and disrupt the food chain, they pose a risk to animals and humans. With a focus on organophosphate and triazine pesticides, the present review aims to describe the current state of knowledge regarding spatial distribution, bioaccumulation, and mode of action of frequently used pesticides. We discuss the processes by which pesticides and their active residues are accumulated and bioconcentrated in fish, as well as the toxic mechanisms involved, including biological redox activity, immunotoxicity, neuroendocrine disorders, and cytotoxicity, which is manifested in oxidative stress, lysosomal and mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and apoptosis/autophagy. We also explore potential research strategies to close the gaps in our understanding of the toxicity and environmental risk assessment of organophosphate and triazine pesticides.

Keywords: accumulation; adverse outcomes; fish; organophosphate pesticides; toxicity; triazine pesticides.

Figure 1

Cellular key events and organismic adverse outcomes in zebrafish (Danio rerio) from the effects of organophosphate pesticides (Roundup and chlorpyrifos) (Reprinted with permission from [19]. 2022, Elsevier).

Figure 2

Schematic representation of the potential cellular and molecular events in fish hepatocytes under the action of organophosphate and triazine pesticides.