Title: Sex-Specific Neurotoxic Effects of Organophosphate Pesticides Across the Life Course.

Authors: Comfort, Nicole; Re, Diane B

Published In Curr Environ Health Rep, (2017 Dec)

Abstract: This review discusses the sex-specific effects of exposure to various organophosphate (OP) pesticides throughout the life course and potential reasons for the differential vulnerabilities observed across sexes.Sex is a crucial factor in the response to toxicants, yet the sex-specific effects of OP exposure, particularly in juveniles and adults, remain unresolved. This is largely due to study design and inconsistencies in exposure and outcome assessments. Exposure to OPs results in multiple adverse outcomes influenced by many factors including sex. Reported sex-specific effects suggest that males are more susceptible to OPs, which reflects the sex-dependent prevalence of various neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders such as autism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), in which males are at greater risk. Thus, this review proposes that the biological sex-specific effects elicited by OP exposure may in part underlie the dimorphic susceptibilities observed in neurological disorders. Understanding the immediate and long-term effects of OP exposure across sexes will be critical in advancing our understanding of OP-induced neurotoxicity and disease.

PubMed ID: 29063415

MeSH Terms: Environmental Exposure/adverse effects; Humans; Neurodegenerative Diseases/chemically induced*; Neurotoxicity Syndromes/etiology*; Occupational Exposure/adverse effects; Organophosphates/toxicity*; Pesticides/toxicity*; Sex Characteristics*