Cattani et al., 2017
Cattani, D., Cesconetto, P. A., Tavares, M. K., Parisotto, E. B., De Oliveira, P. A., Rieg, C. E. H., Leite, M. C., Prediger, R. D. S., Wendt, N. C., Razzera, G., Filho, D. W., & Zamoner, A., “Developmental exposure to glyphosate-based herbicide and depressive-like behavior in adult offspring: Implication of glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress,” Toxicology, 2017, 387, 67-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2017.06.001.
ABSTRACT:
We have previously demonstrated that maternal exposure to glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) leads to glutamate excitotoxicity in 15-day-old rat hippocampus. The present study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of subchronic exposure to GBH on some neurochemical and behavioral parameters in immature and adult offspring. Rats were exposed to 1% GBH in drinking water (corresponding to 0.36% of glyphosate) from gestational day 5 until postnatal day (PND)-15 or PND60. Results showed that GBH exposure during both prenatal and postnatal periods causes oxidative stress, affects cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission in offspring hippocampus from immature and adult rats. The subchronic exposure to the pesticide decreased L-[(14)C]-glutamate uptake and increased (45)Ca(2+) influx in 60-day-old rat hippocampus, suggesting a persistent glutamate excitotoxicity from developmental period (PND15) to adulthood (PND60). Moreover, GBH exposure alters the serum levels of the astrocytic protein S100B. The effects of GBH exposure were associated with oxidative stress and depressive-like behavior in offspring on PND60, as demonstrated by the prolonged immobility time and decreased time of climbing observed in forced swimming test. The mechanisms underlying the GBH-induced neurotoxicity involve the NMDA receptor activation, impairment of cholinergic transmission, astrocyte dysfunction, ERK1/2 overactivation, decreased p65 NF-kappaB phosphorylation, which are associated with oxidative stress and glutamate excitotoxicity. These neurochemical events may contribute, at least in part, to the depressive-like behavior observed in adult offspring. FULL TEXT
Catov et al., 2016
Catov, J. M., Lee, M., Roberts, J. M., Xu, J., & Simhan, H. N., “Race Disparities and Decreasing Birth Weight: Are All Babies Getting Smaller?,” American Journal of Epidemiology, 2016, 183(1), 15-23. DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwv194.
ABSTRACT:
The mean infant birth weight in the United States increased for decades, but it might now be decreasing. Given race disparities in fetal growth, we explored race-specific trends in birth weight at Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1997 to 2011. Among singleton births delivered at 37-41 weeks (n = 70,607), we evaluated the proportions who were small for gestational age and large for gestational age and changes in mean birth weights over time. Results were stratified by maternal race/ethnicity. Since 1997, the number of infants born small for their gestational ages increased (8.7%-9.9%), whereas the number born large for their gestational ages decreased (8.9%-7.7%). After adjustment for gestational week at birth, maternal characteristics, and pregnancy conditions, birth weight decreased by 2.20 g per year (P < 0.0001). Decreases were greater for spontaneous births. Reductions were significantly greater in infants born to African-American women than in those born to white women (-3.78 vs. -1.88 per year; P for interaction = 0.010). Quantile regression models indicated that birth weight decreased across the entire distribution, but reductions among infants born to African-American women were limited to those in the upper quartile after accounting for maternal factors. Limiting the analysis to low-risk women eliminated birth weight reductions. Birth weight has decreased in recent years, and reductions were greater in infants born to African-American women. These trends might be explained by accumulation of risk factors such as hypertension and prepregnancy obesity that disproportionately affect African-American women. Our results raise the possibility of worsening race disparities in fetal growth. FULL TEXT
Cai et al., 2017
Cai, Wenyan, Ji, Ying, Song, Xianping, Guo, Haoran, Han, Lei, Zhang, Feng, Liu, Xin, Zhang, Hengdong, Zhu, Baoli, & Xu, Ming, “Effects of glyphosate exposure on sperm concentration in rodents: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, 2017, 55, 148-155. DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2017.07.015.
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND: Correlation between exposure to glyphosate and sperm concentrations is important in reproductive toxicity risk assessment for male reproductive functions. Many studies have focused on reproductive toxicity on glyphosate, however, results are still controversial. We conducted a systematic review of epidemiological studies on the association between glyphosate exposure and sperm concentrations of rodents. The aim of this study is to explore the potential adverse effects of glyphosate on reproductive function of male rodents.
METHODS: Systematic and comprehensive literature search was performed in MEDLINE, TOXLINE, Embase, WANFANG and CNKI databases with different combinations of glyphosate exposure and sperm concentration. 8 studies were eventually identified and random-effect model was conducted. Heterogeneity among study results was calculated via chi-square tests. Ten independent experimental datasets from these eight studies were acquired to synthesize the random-effect model.
RESULTS: A decrease in sperm concentrations was found with mean difference of sperm concentrations (MDsperm)=−2.774×106/sperm/g/testis(95%CI=−0.969 to −4.579) in random-effect model after glyphosate exposure. There was also a significant decrease after fitting the random-effect model: MDsperm=−1.632×106/sperm/g/testis (95%CI=−0.662 to −2.601).
CONCLUSIONS: The results of meta-analysis support the hypothesis that glyphosate exposure decreased sperm concentration in rodents. Therefore, we conclude that glyphosate is toxic to male rodent’s reproductive system. FULL TEXT
Beranger et al., 2018
Beranger, R., Hardy, E. M., Dexet, C., Guldner, L., Zaros, C., Nougadere, A., Metten, M. A., Chevrier, C., & Appenzeller, B. M. R., “Multiple pesticide analysis in hair samples of pregnant French women: Results from the ELFE national birth cohort,” Environment International, 2018, 120, 43-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.07.023.
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND: A growing body of evidence suggests that prenatal exposure to pesticides might impair fetal development. Nonetheless, knowledge about pesticide exposure of pregnant women, especially in Europe, is largely restricted to a limited panel of molecules.
AIM: To characterize the concentration of 140 pesticides and metabolites in hair strands from women in the ELFE French nationwide birth cohort.
METHODS: Among cohort members who gave birth in northeastern and southwestern France in 2011, we selected those with a sufficient available mass of hair (n=311). Bundles of hair 9cm long were collected at delivery. We screened 111 pesticides and 29 metabolites, including 112 selected a priori based on their reported usage or detection in the French environment. The bundles of hair from 47 women were split into three segments to explore the intraindividual variability of the exposure. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were computed for the chemicals with a detection frequency >70%.
RESULTS: We detected a median of 43 chemicals per woman (IQR 38-47). Overall, 122 chemicals (>20 chemical families) were detected at least once, including 28 chemicals detected in 70-100% of hair samples. The highest median concentrations were observed for permethrin (median: 37.9pg/mg of hair), p-nitrophenol (13.2pg/mg), and pentachlorophenol (10.0pg/mg). The ICCs for the 28 chemicals studied ranged from 0.59 to 0.94.
CONCLUSION: Pregnant women are exposed to multiple pesticides simultaneously from various chemical families, including chemicals suspected to be reproductive toxicants or endocrine disruptors. The ICCs suggest that the intraindividual variability of pesticide concentrations in hair is lower than its interindividual variability. FULL TEXT
Bai and Ogbourne, 2016
Bai, S. H., & Ogbourne, S. M., “Glyphosate: environmental contamination, toxicity and potential risks to human health via food contamination,” Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2016, 23(19), 18988-19001. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7425-3.
ABSTRACT:
Glyphosate has been the most widely used herbicide during the past three decades. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies glyphosate as ‘practically non-toxic and not an irritant’ under the acute toxicity classification system. This classification is based primarily on toxicity data and due to its unique mode of action via a biochemical pathway that only exists in a small number of organisms that utilise the shikimic acid pathway to produce amino acids, most of which are green plants. This classification is supported by the majority of scientific literature on the toxic effects of glyphosate. However, in 2005, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reported that glyphosate and its major metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), are of potential toxicological concern, mainly as a result of accumulation of residues in the food chain. The FAO further states that the dietary risk of glyphosate and AMPA is unlikely if the maximum daily intake of 1 mg kg(-1) body weight (bw) is not exceeded. Research has now established that glyphosate can persist in the environment, and therefore, assessments of the health risks associated with glyphosate are more complicated than suggested by acute toxicity data that relate primarily to accidental high-rate exposure. We have used recent literature to assess the possible risks associated with the presence of glyphosate residues in food and the environment. FULL TEXT
Slaby et al., 2019
Slaby, S., Titran, P., Marchand, G., Hanotel, J., Lescuyer, A., Lepretre, A., Bodart, J. F., Marin, M., & Lemiere, S., “Effects of glyphosate and a commercial formulation Roundup(R) exposures on maturation of Xenopus laevis oocytes,” Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 2019. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-04596-2.
ABSTRACT:
Pesticides are often found at high concentrations in small ponds near agricultural field where amphibians are used to live and reproduce. Even if there are many studies on the impacts of phytopharmaceutical active ingredients in amphibian toxicology, only a few are interested in the earlier steps of their life cycle. While their populations are highly threatened with extinction. The aim of this work is to characterize the effects of glyphosate and its commercial formulation Roundup(R) GT Max on the Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation which is an essential preparation for the laying and the fertilization. Glyphosate is an extensively used herbicide, not only known for its effectiveness but also for its indirect impacts on non-target organisms. Our results showed that exposures to both forms of glyphosate delayed this hormone-dependent process and were responsible for spontaneous maturation. Severe and particular morphogenesis abnormalities of the meiotic spindle were also observed. The MAPK pathway and the MPF did not seem to be affected by exposures. The xenopus oocyte is particularly affected by the exposures and appears as a relevant model for assessing the effects of environmental contamination. FULL TEXT
Pahwa et al., 2012
Pahwa, M., Harris, S. A., Hohenadel, K., McLaughlin, J. R., Spinelli, J. J., Pahwa, P., Dosman, J. A., & Blair, A., “Pesticide use, immunologic conditions, and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in Canadian men in six provinces,” International Journal of Cancer, 2012, 131(11), 2650-2659. DOI: 10.1002/ijc.27522.
ABSTRACT:
Pesticide exposures and immune suppression have been independently associated with the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but their joint effect has not been well explored. Data from a case-control study of men from six Canadian provinces were used to evaluate the potential effect modification of asthma, allergies, or asthma and allergies and hay fever combined on NHL risk from use of: (i) any pesticide; (ii) any organochlorine insecticide; (iii) any organophosphate insecticide; (iv) any phenoxy herbicide; (v) selected individual pesticides [1,1′-(2,2,2-trichloroethylidene)bis[4-chlorobenzene]; 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl) ethane (DDT), malathion, (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)acetic acid (MCPA), mecoprop, and (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D); and (vi) from the number of potentially carcinogenic pesticides. Incident NHL cases (n = 513) diagnosed between 1991 and 1994 were recruited from provincial cancer registries and hospitalization records and compared to 1,506 controls. A stratified analysis was conducted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for age, province, proxy respondent, and diesel oil exposure. Subjects with asthma, allergies, or hay fever had non-significantly elevated risks of NHL associated with use of MCPA (OR = 2.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90-7.93) compared to subjects without any of these conditions (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.39-1.70). Conversely, those with asthma, allergies, or hay fever who reported use of malathion had lower risks of NHL (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.69-2.26) versus subjects with none of these conditions (OR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.65-3.61). Similar effects were observed for asthma and allergies evaluated individually. Although there were some leads regarding effect modification by these immunologic conditions on the association between pesticide use and NHL, small numbers, measurement error and possible recall bias limit interpretation of these results. FULL TEXT
von Ehrenstein et al., 2019
von Ehrenstein, O. S., Ling, C., Cui, X., Cockburn, M., Park, A. S., Yu, F., Wu, J., & Ritz, B., “Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: population based case-control study,” BMJ, 2019, 364, l962. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.l962.
ABSTRACT:
OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between early developmental exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder.
DESIGN: Population based case-control study.
SETTING: California’s main agricultural region, Central Valley, using 1998-2010 birth data from the Office of Vital Statistics.
POPULATION: 2961 individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, revised (up to 31 December 2013), including 445 with intellectual disability comorbidity, were identified through records maintained at the California Department of Developmental Services and linked to their birth records. Controls derived from birth records were matched to cases 10:1 by sex and birth year.
EXPOSURE: Data from California state mandated Pesticide Use Reporting were integrated into a geographic information system tool to estimate prenatal and infant exposures to pesticides (measured as pounds of pesticides applied per acre/month within 2000 m from the maternal residence). 11 high use pesticides were selected for examination a priori according to previous evidence of neurodevelopmental toxicity in vivo or in vitro (exposure defined as ever v never for each pesticide during specific developmental periods).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using multivariable logistic regression were used to assess associations between pesticide exposure and autism spectrum disorder (with or without intellectual disabilities) in offspring, adjusting for confounders.
RESULTS: Risk of autism spectrum disorder was associated with prenatal exposure to glyphosate (odds ratio 1.16, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 1.27), chlorpyrifos (1.13, 1.05 to 1.23), diazinon (1.11, 1.01 to 1.21), malathion (1.11, 1.01 to 1.22), avermectin (1.12, 1.04 to 1.22), and permethrin (1.10, 1.01 to 1.20). For autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability, estimated odds ratios were higher (by about 30%) for prenatal exposure to glyphosate (1.33, 1.05 to 1.69), chlorpyrifos (1.27, 1.04 to 1.56), diazinon (1.41, 1.15 to 1.73), permethrin (1.46, 1.20 to 1.78), methyl bromide (1.33, 1.07 to 1.64), and myclobutanil (1.32, 1.09 to 1.60); exposure in the first year of life increased the odds for the disorder with comorbid intellectual disability by up to 50% for some pesticide substances.
CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that an offspring’s risk of autism spectrum disorder increases following prenatal exposure to ambient pesticides within 2000 m of their mother’s residence during pregnancy, compared with offspring of women from the same agricultural region without such exposure. Infant exposure could further increase risks for autism spectrum disorder with comorbid intellectual disability. FULL TEXT
Zhang et al., 2019a
Zhang, Luoping, Rana, Iemaan, Shaffer, Rachel M., Taioli, Emanuela, & Sheppard, Lianne, “Exposure to Glyphosate-Based Herbicides and Risk for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Meta-Analysis and Supporting Evidence,” Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research, In Press, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2019.02.001.
ABSTRACT:
Glyphosate is the most widely used broad-spectrum systemic herbicide in the world. Recent evaluations of the carcinogenic potential of glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) by various regional, national, and international agencies have engendered controversy. We investigated whether there was an association between high cumulative exposures to GBHs and increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in humans. We conducted a new meta-analysis that included the most recent update of the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) cohort published in 2018 along with five case-control studies. Using the highest exposure groups when available in each study, we report the overall meta-relative risk (meta-RR) of NHL in GBH-exposed individuals was increased by 41% (meta-RR = 1.41, 95% CI, confidence interval: 1.13–1.75). For comparison, we also performed a secondary meta-analysis using high-exposure groups with the earlier AHS (2005), and we determined a meta-RR for NHL of 1.45 (95% CI: 1.11–1.91), which was higher than the meta-RRs reported previously. Multiple sensitivity tests conducted to assess the validity of our findings did not reveal meaningful differences from our primary estimated meta-RR. To contextualize our findings of an increased NHL risk in individuals with high GBH exposure, we reviewed available animal and mechanistic studies, which provided supporting evidence for the carcinogenic potential of GBH. We documented further support from studies of malignant lymphoma incidence in mice treated with pure glyphosate, as well as potential links between GBH exposure and immunosuppression, endocrine disruption, and genetic alterations that are commonly associated with NHL. Overall, in accordance with evidence from experimental animal and mechanistic studies, our current meta-analysis of human epidemiological studies suggests a compelling link between exposures to GBHs and increased risk for NHL. FULL TEXT
Wozniak et al., 2018
Wozniak, E., Sicinska, P., Michalowicz, J., Wozniak, K., Reszka, E., Huras, B., Zakrzewski, J., & Bukowska, B., “The mechanism of DNA damage induced by Roundup 360 PLUS, glyphosate and AMPA in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells – genotoxic risk assessement,” Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2018, 120, 510-522. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2018.07.035.
ABSTRACT:
Glyphosate is the most heavily applied among pesticides in the world, and thus human exposure to this substance continues to increase. WHO changed classification of glyphosate to probably cancerogenic to humans, thus there is urgent need to assess in detail genotoxic mechanism of its action. We have assessed the effect of glyphosate, its formulation (Roundup 360 PLUS) and its main metabolite (aminomethylphosphonic acid, AMPA) in the concentration range from 1 to 1000muM on DNA damage in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The cells were incubated for 24h. The compounds studied and formulation induced DNA single and double strand-breaks and caused purines and pyrimidines oxidation. None of compounds examined was capable of creating adducts with DNA, while those substances increased ROS (including (*)OH) level in PBMCs. Roundup 360 PLUS caused damage to DNA even at 5muM, while glyphosate and particularly AMPA induced DNA lesions from the concentration of 250muM and 500muM, respectively. DNA damage induced by glyphosate and its derivatives increased in order: AMPA, glyphosate, Roundup 360 PLUS. We may conclude that observed changes were not associated with direct interaction of xenobiotics studied with DNA, but the most probably they occurred through ROS-mediated effects. FULL TEXT