Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Public Health, 48463Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Pharmaceutics Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, 48463Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Toxicol Ind Health. 2022 Jun;38(6):342-350. doi: 10.1177/07482337221096315. Epub 2022 May 5.
Organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) are widely used all over the world in domestic and industrial settings, but these chemicals affect the nervous system, induce suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety, and impair sleep quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the main toxicity mechanisms of OPPs, oxidative stress and cholinesterase inhibition, and psychological parameters in chronic exposure to OPPs. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 male OPPs factory workers as the worker group and 47 unexposed individuals within the same age range as the control group. Psychological factors were assessed using validated questionnaires. The activity of plasma cholinesterase and oxidative stress biomarkers, total antioxidant capacity of plasma, lipid peroxidation (LPO), and protein carbonylation were determined in blood samples by spectrophotometer. Sleep quality score in the factory workers was lower, and depression and suicidal ideation scores were higher than those in the control group. These factory workers showed 35% lower levels of plasma cholinesterase activity than did the controls. Compared to the control group, a significant impairment in oxidative stress biomarkers was also observed in the workers. Meanwhile, there was a significant relationship between the duration of employment and the level of LPO as well as a significant correlation between the quality of sleep and plasma cholinesterase in the workers. In conclusion, long-term exposure to OPPs could cause oxidative damages and neurobehavioral effects. The close monitoring of workplace exposure to organophosphates pesticides and also their respective solvents along with the reduction of working hours are of the necessities to avoid the adverse impacts of exposure to these pesticides.
有机磷农药（OPPs）在国内外被广泛应用于家庭和工业领域，但这些化学物质会影响神经系统，导致自杀念头、抑郁和焦虑，并损害睡眠质量。本研究旨在探讨 OPPs 的主要毒性机制、氧化应激和胆碱酯酶抑制与慢性暴露于 OPPs 相关的心理参数之间的关系。这项横断面研究共纳入 56 名男性 OPPs 工厂工人作为工人组和 47 名年龄相同的未暴露个体作为对照组。使用经过验证的问卷评估心理因素。通过分光光度计测定血液样本中的血浆胆碱酯酶和氧化应激生物标志物、血浆总抗氧化能力、脂质过氧化（LPO）和蛋白羰基化的活性。与对照组相比，工厂工人的睡眠质量评分较低，抑郁和自杀意念评分较高。这些工厂工人的血浆胆碱酯酶活性比对照组低 35%。与对照组相比，工人组的氧化应激生物标志物也明显受损。同时，工人组中，就业年限与 LPO 水平之间存在显著关系，睡眠质量与血浆胆碱酯酶之间存在显著相关性。总之，长期接触 OPPs 可能会导致氧化损伤和神经行为效应。有必要对有机磷农药及其各自的溶剂进行工作场所暴露的密切监测，并减少工作时间，以避免接触这些农药的不良影响。
