Neurotoxic Effects Associated with Current Uses of Organophosphorus Compounds

Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society

Mangas, Iris¹  França, Tanos C. C.¹  University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic¹  Instituto Militar de Engenharia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil¹  Miguel Hernández University, Elche, Spain¹  Vilanova, Eugenio¹  Estévez, Jorge¹  Concordia University, Montreal, Canada¹ 

关键词:  organophosphorus compounds;    toxicological aspects;    pesticides;    chemical weapons;    esterases;   

DOI  :  10.5935/0103-5053.20160084

学科分类：化学（综合）

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Organophosphorus compounds (OPs) are a large and diverse class of chemicals that have been synthesized, since the XIX century for several purposes like chemical weapons, flame-retardants, ectoparasiticides and investigational new drugs, but mainly as agrochemicals in agriculture and indoor. Although the amount of OP pesticides being used is declining, especially in developed countries, OPs continue being one of the most important classes of insecticides and chemical warfare agents today due to its toxic effects on the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Existing research on the toxicological effects of OPs is extensive, however, there is a lack of knowledge on the long-term effects of low levels of OPs and their exactly pathways of toxicity. Recent data prove that other molecular targets than AChE could be targeted by OPs, triggering these effects. Here these data are reviewed and it is highlighted that the current uses of OPs are producing several neurotoxic effects. It is also shown that, to protect people from possible uses and misuses of OPs, more regulations on OPs are needed. Moreover, more mechanistic studies are needed to completely understand their toxicological interactions and mechanisms of action and to identify the whole group of enzymes that interact with them.

【 授权许可】

Unknown