Artículo de revista
Assessing biomarkers and neuropsychological outcomes in rural populations exposed to organophosphate pesticides in Chile – study design and protocol
Fecha
2015Registro en:
BMC Public Health (2015) 15:116
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-1463-5
Autor
Ramírez Santana, Muriel
Zúñiga, Liliana
Corral Zavala, Sebastián
Sandoval, Rodrigo
Scheepers, Paul
Van der Velden, Koos
Roeleveld, Nel
Pancetti, Floria
Institución
Resumen
Health effects of pesticides are easily diagnosed when acute poisonings occurs, nevertheless,
consequences from chronic exposure can only be observed when neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative or
oncologic pathologies appear. Therefore, early monitoring of this type of exposure is especially relevant to avoid
the consequences of pathologies previously described; especially concerning workers exposed to pesticides on
the job. For acute organophosphate pesticides (OPP) exposure, two biomarkers have been validated: plasma
cholinesterase (ChE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) from erythrocytes. These enzymes become inhibited when
people are exposed to high doses of organophosphate pesticides, along with clear signs and symptoms of
acute poisoning; therefore, they do not serve to identify risk from chronic exposure. This study aims to assess a
novel biomarker that could reflect neuropsychological deterioration associated with long-term exposure to
organophosphate pesticides via the enzyme acylpeptide-hydrolase (ACPH), which has been recently identified as
a direct target of action for some organophosphate compounds.