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There is a direct relationship between Parkinson's disease and pesticides
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Tens of millions of people all over the world suffer from Parkinson's disease, but the exact causes of the development of this disease are not fully understood.
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects about a percent of people over 65 years of age and four to five percent older than 85 years.
For several years, neurologists from the University of California at Los Angeles conducted a study whose goal was to find out whether there was a connection between pesticides and Parkinson's disease.
To date, experts suspect that maneb, paraquat and ziram are chemicals used to remove broad-leaved weeds and grass, are associated with an increase in the number of different diseases not only among agricultural workers, but also people who simply live and work next to the cultivated fields .
Now, scientists at the University of California have discovered a link between Parkinson's disease and another pesticide, benomyl. This toxic pesticide was banned in the United States ten years ago, but the consequences of its pernicious effects are still palpable.
The substances of benomyl begin a cascade of cellular events that can lead to the development of Parkinson's disease. The pesticide inhibits the production of the enzyme ALDH (aldehyde dehydrogenase), and this leads to the accumulation of the toxin DOPAL in the brain, which is synthesized by the brain and is responsible for a number of cellular events that lead to Parkinson's disease.
According to scientists, the development of new drugs to protect the activity of the enzyme ALDH, ultimately can help slow the progression of the disease, even if a person has never been exposed to pesticides.
The results of the research are published in the pages of the scientific publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Parkinson's disease leads to progressive rigidity of the muscles, slowing of movements and tremor of the extremities. These symptoms appear due to the death of the nerve cells of the brain region of the substantia nigra, which produce the dopamine neurotransmitter. The origin of Parkinson's disease remains not fully understood, but possible causes may be aging, some toxins and substances, in particular benomyl, and genetic predisposition.
"Environmental factors certainly play an important role in the development of the disease," said lead author of the study, Professor Arthur Fitzmaurice. "Understanding the appropriate mechanisms, in particular, what causes selective loss of dopaminergic neurons, can provide important clues for explaining how the disease develops and why."
Benomil has been widely used in the United States for three decades, until toxicological data has shown that a pesticide can be potentially dangerous and its continued use can lead to liver, brain, developmental and reproductive changes. Benomil was banned in 2001.