Renal and Hepatic Toxicity of Alpha-Cypermethrine Pesticide Used on Agricultural  Farmers Living Closed to Tigris river, Iraq

Sarhan Rashid Sarhan ^1*,   Mohammed H.M. Merah ²

ALP, ALT and AST enzymes increased significantly when directly exposed to this pesticide as a result of its effect on kidney and liver functions.

Abstract

The study was conducted from October 15, 2021, to February 15, 2022, in Wasit Governorate, Iraq, targeting farmers of different ages exposed to chemical pesticides along the banks of the Tigris River within the administrative borders of the province. The objective of the study was to identify the impact of alpha-cypermethrin on the health condition of farmers during spraying operations. This was achieved by measuring and identifying changes in vital indicators through biochemical tests, specifically kidney functions and liver enzymes. A total of 200 samples were collected for the study and divided into two groups. The first group comprised 150 samples from farmers exposed to the pesticide, categorized into two age groups. The first subgroup included individuals older than 18 (100 samples), and the second included those under 18 (50 samples). The second group, serving as the control, consisted of 50 samples, with 25 individuals over 18 and 25 under 18. Results revealed high significant differences (P≤0.01) in the concentrations of kidney functions (urea and creatinine) and hepatic enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP) among individuals exposed to the pesticide compared to the concentrations in the non-exposed control group. The study's findings lead to the conclusion that direct exposure to alpha-cypermethrin showed an impact on overall body functions and affected biomarkers, particularly kidney and liver enzyme functions. Moreover, the adverse effects were more pronounced in older farmers exposed to the pesticide than their younger counterparts.

Keywords: Pyrethroids, Environmental pollution, kidney functions, liver enzymes

References

Abdel-Daim, M. M., & Abdou, R. H. (2015). Protective effects of diallyl sulfide and curcumin separately against thallium-induced toxicity in rats. Cell Journal (Yakhteh), 17(2), 379.

Abdou, R. H., Saleh, S. Y., & Khalil, W. F. (2015). Toxicological and biochemical studies on Schinus terebinthifolius concerning its curative and hepatoprotective effects against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver injury. Pharmacognosy Magazine, 11(Suppl 1), S93.

Agarwal, V. P., GOEL, K. A., KALPANA, SANDHYA, & AGRAWAL, V. P. (1984). Alachlor toxicity to a freshwater teleost Clarias batrachus. Current Science, 1050–1052.

Arafa, A., Afify, M., & Samy, N. (2013). Evaluation of adverse health effects of pesticides exposure [biochemical and hormonal] among Egyptian farmers. J. Appl. Sci. Res, 9(7), 4404–4409.

Arafa, M. H., Mohamed, D. A., & Atteia, H. H. (2015). Ameliorative effect of N-acetyl cysteine on alpha-cypermethrin-induced pulmonary toxicity in male rats. Environmental Toxicology, 30(1), 26–43.

Barnett, L. M. A., & Cummings, B. S. (2018). Nephrotoxicity and renal pathophysiology: a contemporary perspective. Toxicological Sciences, 164(2), 379–390.

Choudhary, S., Yamini, N. R., Yadav, S. K., Kamboj, M., & Sharma, A. (2018). A review: Pesticide residue: Cause of many animal health problems. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 6(3), 330–333.

Dahamna, S., Belguet, A., Bouamra, D., Guendouz, A., Mergham, M., & Harzallah, D. (2011). Evaluation of the toxicity of cypermethrin pesticide on organs weight loss and some biochemical and histological parameters. Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, 76(4), 915–921.

Damalas, C. A., & Abdollahzadeh, G. (2016). Farmers’ use of personal protective equipment during handling of plant protection products: Determinants of implementation. Science of the Total Environment, 571, 730–736.

Dewan, A., Bhatnagar, V. K., Mathur, M. L., Chakma, T., Kashyap, R., Sadhu, H. G., Sinha, S. N., & Saiyed, H. N. (2004). Repeated episodes of endosulfan poisoning. Journal of Toxicology: Clinical Toxicology, 42(4), 363–369.

Gao, Y., Lim, T. K., Lin, Q., & Li, S. F. Y. (2016). Identification of cypermethrin induced protein changes in green algae by iTRAQ quantitative proteomics. Journal of Proteomics, 139, 67–76.

Garba, S. H., Adelaiye, A. B., & Mshelia, L. Y. (2007). Histopathological and biochemical changes in the rats kidney following exposure to a pyrethroid based mosquito coil. J Appl Sci Res, 3(12), 1788–1793.

Ghazouani, L., Feriani, A., Mufti, A., Tir, M., Baaziz, I., Mansour, H. Ben, & Mnafgui, K. (2020). Toxic effect of alpha cypermethrin, an environmental pollutant, on myocardial tissue in male wistar rats. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27, 5709–5717.

Ghorzi, H., Merzouk, H., Hocine, L., & Merzouk, S. A. (2017). Long term biochemical changes in offspring of rats fed diet containing alpha-cypermethrin. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, 142, 133–140.

Gomaa, M., Abd Alla, M., & Sameer, M. M. (2011). The possible protective effect of propolis (Bee glue) on cypermethrin-induced hepatotoxicity in adult albino rats. Mansoura Journal of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, 19(1), 17–32.

Grewal, G., Verma, P., Dhar, V. J., & Srivastava, A. (2009). Toxicity of subacute oral administration of cypermethrin in rats with special reference to histopathological changes. International Journal of Green Pharmacy, 3(4), 293.

Gupta, V., & Trivedi, P. (2018). In vitro and in vivo characterization of pharmaceutical topical nanocarriers containing anticancer drugs for skin cancer treatment. In Lipid nanocarriers for drug targeting (pp. 563–627). Elsevier.

Hartnik, T., Sverdrup, L. E., & Jensen, J. (2008). Toxicity of the pesticide alpha-cypermethrin to four soil nontarget invertebrates and implications for risk assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: An International Journal, 27(6), 1408–1415.

Hassanin, N. M., Awad, O. M., El-Fiki, S., Abou-Shanab, R. A. I., Abou-Shanab, A. R. A., & Amer, R. A. (2018). Association between exposure to pesticides and disorder on hematological parameters and kidney function in male agricultural workers. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 25, 30802–30807.

Hussien, H. M., Abdou, H. M., & Yousef, M. I. (2013). Cypermethrin induced damage in genomic DNA and histopathological changes in brain and haematotoxicity in rats: the protective effect of sesame oil. Brain Research Bulletin, 92, 76–83.

Khan, A., Faridi, H. A. M., Ali, M., Khan, M. Z., Siddique, M., Hussain, I., & Ahmad, M. (2009). Effects of cypermethrin on some clinico-hemato-biochemical and pathological parameters in male dwarf goats (Capra hircus). Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology, 61(2), 151–160.

Khan, D. A., Hashmi, I., Mahjabeen, W., & Naqvi, T. A. (2010). Monitoring health implications of pesticide exposure in factory workers in Pakistan. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 168, 231–240.

Kumar, A., Sharma, B., & Pandey, R. S. (2009). Cypermethrin and λ-cyhalothrin induced in vivo alterations in nucleic acids and protein contents in a freshwater catfish, Clarias batrachus (Linnaeus; Family-Clariidae). Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B, 44(6), 564–570.

Lewis, K. A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. J., & Green, A. (2016). An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050–1064.

Luty, S., Latuszynska, J., Halliop, J., Tochman, A., Obuchowska, D., Przylepa, E., & Korczak, E. (1998). Toxicity of dermally applied alpha-cypermethrin in rats. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 5(2).

Manna, P. R., Eubank, D. W., Lalli, E., Sassone-Corsi, P., & Stocco, D. M. (2003). Transcriptional regulation of the mouse steroidogenic acute regulatory protein gene by the cAMP response-element binding protein and steroidogenic factor 1. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, 30(3), 381–397.

Manna, S., Bhattacharyya, D., Basak, D. K., & Mandal, T. K. (2004). Single oral dose toxicity study of a-cypermethrin in rats. Indian Journal of Pharmacology, 36(1), 25.

Nair, R. R., Abraham, M. J., Lalithakunjamma, C. R., Nair, N. D., & Aravindakshan, C. M. (2010). Hematological and biochemical profile in sub lethal toxicity of cypermethrin in rats. Int J Biol Med Res, 1(4), 211–214.

Ombelet, S., Barbé, B., Affolabi, D., Ronat, J.-B., Lompo, P., Lunguya, O., Jacobs, J., & Hardy, L. (2019). Best practices of blood cultures in low-and middle-income countries. Frontiers in Medicine, 6, 131.

Rehman, H., Aziz, A.-T., Saggu, S., Abbas, Z. K., Mohan, A., & Ansari, A. A. (2014). Systematic review on pyrethroid toxicity with special reference to deltamethrin. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 2(6), 60–70.

Rjeibi, I., Saad, A. Ben, & Hfaiedh, N. (2016). Oxidative damage and hepatotoxicity associated with deltamethrin in rats: The protective effects of Amaranthus spinosus seed extract. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 84, 853–860.

SAS, S. (2018). Statistical Analysis System, User’s Guide. Statistical. Version 9. SAS. Inst. Inc. Cary. NC USA.

Schettgen, T., Heudorf, U., Drexler, H., & Angerer, J. (2002). Pyrethroid exposure of the general population—is this due to diet. Toxicology Letters, 134(1–3), 141–145.

Sharma, P., Firdous, S., & Singh, R. (2014). Neurotoxic effect of cypermethrin and protective role of resveratrol in Wistar rats. International Journal of Nutrition, Pharmacology, Neurological Diseases, 4(2), 104–111.

Sheikh, S. A., Nizamani, S. M., Jamali, A. A., & Kumbhar, M. I. (2011). Pesticides and associated impact on human health: a case of small farmers in southern Sindh, Pakistan. Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences, 1(1), 82–86.

Sushma, N., & Devasena, T. (2010). Aqueous extract of Trigonella foenum graecum (fenugreek) prevents cypermethrin-induced hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 29(4), 311–319.

Yao, G., Gao, J., Zhang, C., Jiang, W., Wang, P., Liu, X., Liu, D., & Zhou, Z. (2019). Enantioselective degradation of the chiral alpha-cypermethrin and detection of its metabolites in five plants. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26, 1558–1564.

Yassin, F. H., & Hadi, A. A. (2016). Histopathological Alterations in Liver, Kidneys and Lungs Induced by Cypermethrin Toxicity in Albino Rats. Al-Kufa University Journal for Biology, 8(3).

Zhao, Y.-Y., & Lin, R.-C. (2014). Metabolomics in nephrotoxicity. Advances in Clinical Chemistry, 65, 69–89.