Elsevier

Journal of Proteomics

Volume 74, Issue 12, 18 November 2011, Pages 2713-2722
Journal of Proteomics

Review
Pesticides and cancer: Insights into toxicoproteomic-based findings

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jprot.2011.09.024Get rights and content

Abstract

Humans are often exposed to a variety of pollutants that contribute to an individual's risk for diseases including cancer. Animal, cell cultures and epidemiological lines of evidence demonstrate that exposure to various environmental pollutants including pesticides are associated with increasing frequency of cancers. Organophosphates, organochlorines, carbamates, pyrethroids, the major groups of pesticides, have been reported to be carcinogenic in various models. However, the results of these studies are still controversial, nevertheless, their mechanism of action is clear. Therefore, new strategies in toxicological research are needed for efficient screening for adverse effects of pesticides on complex living systems. Biomarkers can be employed to identify causal associations and to make better quantitative and qualitative estimates of those associations at relevant levels of exposure. This will enable us to deepen our understanding of mechanism behind their carcinogenic potential. Deciphering the associations between pesticide exposure and cancer, following toxicoproteomics application, will be useful in the development of potential predictive biomarkers of pesticide induced carcinogenicity. Therefore, the thrust of this article was to review the risk of cancer due to pesticide exposure and significant toxicoproteomic-based studies conducted so far, to identify the novel molecules as possible biomarkers for cancer following pesticide exposure.

Graphical abstract

Highlights

► This review article contains the updated information on the risk of cancer caused by pesticides exposure. ► Compilation of toxicoproteomic-based studies conducted on pesticide exposure. ► Progress in identification of pesticides and cancer associated biomarkers.

Introduction

Globally, it has been estimated that about 12.7 million cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths have occurred in 2008, accounting for 56% of the cases and 64% of the deaths in the economically developing world. It is predicted that there will be 16 million new cases every year by 2020 [1]. It is well known that apart from lifestyle, genetic and dietary factors, many environmental pollutants increase the risk of developing cancer [2]. Cancer is spread through any source of pollution namely through water pollution, air pollution and land pollution. A number of chemicals present in air, water, food and workplace are capable of inducing cancer. Many studies have discovered the link of various types of environmental pollution with the development of cancer [3], [4], [5]. In water pollution the common sources of cancer are heavy metals, toxic organic chemicals and leachates from waste disposal site. Through land and air pollution, cancer is spread by exposure of human beings to pesticides, radioactive materials and heavy metals. Pesticides, used extensively for controlling pest and destroying weeds are ubiquitous contaminants accumulating in our environment and hence humans get unavoidably exposed to these pesticides. Some pesticides are highly toxic, non bio-degradable and persist in the environment for a very long period of time. The principal classes of pesticides that are being used are organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates and pyrethroids. There are now growing concerns that some of these man-made chemicals are affecting the health of human and wildlife population [6], [7]. Although many of them have been classified as carcinogens according to United States of Environmental Protection Agency [8] and International Agency for Research on Cancer [9], the understanding of their mechanism is still inadequate.

In the past few years, molecular biomarkers have been widely used to identify causal associations between disease and harmful environmental pollutants including pesticides to make better quantitative estimates of those associations at their relevant levels of exposure [10]. These have included several enzymes, DNA studies and biochemical aspects of the organisms against each stressor. Moreover, information at the level of proteome in short duration of exposure facilitates in evaluating the early critical changes involved in pesticide-induced carcinogenic changes. In recent years, a rapid development of toxicoproteomic-based technologies has contributed a lot in global analysis of alterations in protein expression and modifications that are responsive to adverse environmental challenges [11]. Studies have provided strong evidences that various toxicoproteomic technologies can be applied for their respective abilities in profiling protein changes and biomarker identification resulting from toxic chemical exposure [12]. In this review we aim to describe different types of pesticides responsible for cancer causation and toxicoproteomics studies conducted till date for the elucidation of proteins involved in the pesticide induced carcinogenesis.

Section snippets

Historical perspective

Pesticides have been used to a limited degree since ancient times. The first reported insecticides which are used by Sumerians around 4500 year ago to kill insects and mites were sulfur based compounds. By the 15th century, Chinese began to utilize mercury and arsenic for controlling garden insects. Use of tobacco as contact insecticide gained popularity later in the 17th century [9]. Since the establishment of chemical industries was not much at that time, plant and animal derived products

Toxicoproteomics

After the completion of the human genome project in 2002 and its acknowledgment for not providing all the explanations to the etiology of disease, it has altered the consideration to evaluate changes in the expressed proteins of a particular genome. Consequently, proteomics materialized as a briskly budding area of research that examines the presence or absence of each protein along with the post-synthetic fluctuations [56]. The proteomics comprehends tools, mechanisms and methodologies that

Limitations and future directions

As per our understanding, this is the first complete review of the research activities in the area of toxicoproteomics focusing on the effects of carcinogenic pesticides. It is palpable when surveying the literature that only a limited number of studies are embattled in such effects using a proteomic approach to date. This is in gap to areas such as oncology and pharmaceutics, in which incredible efforts have been made in recent years to distinguish the appropriate proteins such as disease

References (95)

  • J. Sun et al.

    Development of a LC/MS/MS method to analyze butyrylcholinesterase inhibition resulting from multiple pesticide exposure

    J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci

    (2009)
  • R.S. Chhabra et al.

    Comparative carcinogenicity of ethylene thiourea with or without perinatal exposure in rats and mice

    Fundam Appl Toxicol

    (1992)
  • M. Moriya et al.

    Carcinogenicity of N-nitroso-ethylenethiourea in female mice

    Cancer Lett

    (1979)
  • D. Bigot-Lasserre et al.

    Tumorigenic potential of carbaryl in the heterozygous p53 knockout mouse model

    Food Chem Toxicol

    (2003)
  • Y. Shukla et al.

    Carcinogenic and cocarcinogenic studies with carbaryl following topical exposure in mice

    Cancer Lett

    (1992)
  • Y. Shukla et al.

    Carcinogenic activity of a carbamate fungicide, mancozeb on mouse skin

    Cancer Lett

    (1990)
  • C. Nasuti et al.

    Effect of permethrin plus antioxidants on locomotor activity and striatum in adolescent rats

    Toxicology

    (2008)
  • H.B. Ila et al.

    Genotoxic potential of cyfluthrin

    Mutat Res

    (2008)
  • W.W. Au

    Usefulness of biomarkers in population studies: from exposure to susceptibility and to prediction of cancer

    Int J Hyg Environ Health

    (2007)
  • J. Angerer et al.

    Human biomonitoring: state of the art

    Int J Hyg Environ Health

    (2007)
  • M. Tornqvist et al.

    Protein adducts: quantitative and qualitative aspects of their formation, analysis and applications

    J Chromatogr B

    (2002)
  • A. Jemal et al.

    Global cancer statistics

    CA Cancer J Clin

    (2011)
  • C. Baudouin et al.

    Environmental pollutants and skin cancer

    Cell Biol Toxicol

    (2002)
  • J.H. Lubin

    Environmental factors in cancer: radon

    Rev Environ Health

    (2010)
  • J.E. Vena

    Lung, breast, bladder and rectal cancer

    Rev Environ Health

    (2010)
  • J. Dich et al.

    Pesticides and cancer

    Cancer Causes Control

    (1997)
  • M.P. Longnecker et al.

    The human health effects of DTT (dichlorophenyltrichloroethane) and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and an overview of organochlorines in public health

    Annu Rev Public Health

    (1997)
  • United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)

    Office of Pesticide Programs, Health Effects Division, Science Information Management Branch. Chemicals evaluated for carcinogenic potential

    (2004)
  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Working Group

    Occupational exposures in spraying and application of insecticides

    IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risk Chem Hum

    (1991)
  • W.A. Anwar

    Biomarkers of human exposure to pesticides

    Environ Health Perspect

    (1997)
  • B.A. Wetmore et al.

    Toxicoproteomics: proteomics applied to toxicology and pathology

    Toxicol Pathol

    (2004)
  • B.A. Merrick

    Toxicoproteomics in liver injury and inflammation

    Ann N Y Acad Sci

    (2006)
  • The history of pesticides, organic pesticides

  • Pesticide usage in the United States: history, benefits, risks, and trends; bulletin 1121, November 2000, K.S....
  • Wessels Living History Farm, York, Nebraska; Farming in the 1930s...
  • Carson Rachel

    Silent Spring, 40th anniversary edition

    (2002)
  • A history of crop protection and pest control in our society; CropLife, Canada

  • World Health Organization (WHO)

    Public health impact of pesticides used in agriculture

    (1990)
  • I.A. Al-Saleh

    Pesticides: a review article

    J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol

    (1994)
  • National Resources Defense Council, trouble on the farm; growing up with pesticides in agricultural communities, chapter 1 from an article on

  • H. Vainio

    Molecular approaches in toxicology: change in perspective

    J Occup Environ Med

    (1995)
  • R. Repetto et al.

    Pesticides and immunosuppression: the risks to public health

    Health Policy Plan

    (1997)
  • T.B. Hayes et al.

    Pesticide mixtures, endocrine disruption, and amphibian declines: are we underestimating the impact? Environ

    Health Perspect

    (2006)
  • L.A. McCauley et al.

    Studying health outcomes in farm worker populations exposed to pesticides

    Environ Health Perspect

    (2006)
  • J.L. Daniels et al.

    Pesticides and childhood cancers

    Environ Health Perspect

    (1997)
  • S.H. Zahm et al.

    Childhood cancer: overview of incidence trends and environmental carcinogens

    Environ Health Perspect

    (1995)
  • C. Lu et al.

    Assessing children's dietary pesticide exposure: direct measurement of pesticide residues in 24-hr duplicate food samples

    Environ Health Perspect

    (2010)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text