Open Access

Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and cytokine pathways in chronic diseases (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Silvia Gangemi
    • Eliza Gofita
    • Chiara Costa
    • Michele Teodoro
    • Giusi Briguglio
    • Dragana Nikitovic
    • George Tzanakakis
    • Aristides M. Tsatsakis
    • Martin F. Wilks
    • Demetrios A. Spandidos
    • Concettina Fenga
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 2, 2016     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2728
  • Pages: 1012-1020
  • Copyright: © Gangemi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Pesticides can exert numerous effects on human health as a consequence of both environmental and occupational exposures. The available knowledge base suggests that exposure to pesticides may result in detrimental reproductive changes, neurological dysfunction and several chronic disorders, which are defined by slow evolution and long-term duration. Moreover, an ever increasing amount of data have identified an association between exposure to pesticides and the harmful effects on the immune system. The real impact of alterations in humoral cytokine levels on human health, in particular in the case of chronic diseases, is still unclear. To date, studies have suggested that although exposure to pesticides can affect the immune system functionally, the development of immune disorders depends on the dose and duration of exposure to pesticides. However, many of the respective studies exhibit limitations, such as a lack of information on exposure levels, differences in the pesticide administration procedures, difficulty in characterizing a prognostic significance to the weak modifications often observed and the interpretation of obtained results. The main challenge is not just to understand the role of individual pesticides and their combinations, but also to determine the manner and the duration of exposure, as the toxic effects on the immune system cannot be separated from these considerations. There is a clear need for more well‑designed and standardized epidemiological and experimental studies to recognize the exact association between exposure levels and toxic effects and to identify useful biomarkers of exposure. This review focuses on and critically discusses the immunotoxicity of pesticides and the impact of cytokine levels on health, focusing on the development of several chronic diseases.
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October-2016
Volume 38 Issue 4

Print ISSN: 1107-3756
Online ISSN:1791-244X

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Spandidos Publications style
Gangemi S, Gofita E, Costa C, Teodoro M, Briguglio G, Nikitovic D, Tzanakakis G, Tsatsakis AM, Wilks MF, Spandidos DA, Spandidos DA, et al: Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and cytokine pathways in chronic diseases (Review). Int J Mol Med 38: 1012-1020, 2016.
APA
Gangemi, S., Gofita, E., Costa, C., Teodoro, M., Briguglio, G., Nikitovic, D. ... Fenga, C. (2016). Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and cytokine pathways in chronic diseases (Review). International Journal of Molecular Medicine, 38, 1012-1020. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2728
MLA
Gangemi, S., Gofita, E., Costa, C., Teodoro, M., Briguglio, G., Nikitovic, D., Tzanakakis, G., Tsatsakis, A. M., Wilks, M. F., Spandidos, D. A., Fenga, C."Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and cytokine pathways in chronic diseases (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 38.4 (2016): 1012-1020.
Chicago
Gangemi, S., Gofita, E., Costa, C., Teodoro, M., Briguglio, G., Nikitovic, D., Tzanakakis, G., Tsatsakis, A. M., Wilks, M. F., Spandidos, D. A., Fenga, C."Occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides and cytokine pathways in chronic diseases (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine 38, no. 4 (2016): 1012-1020. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijmm.2016.2728