Anticholinesterase kinetics in occupational pesticide exposure

ABSTRACT

It is important to evolve bio-monitoring systems in occupational situations as problematic as pesticide exposure. In occupational situations the exposure to pesticide is generally of a subthreshold level, of long standing and to a mixed group of compounds. The organophosphates and carbamates are anticholinesterases, with largely similar biological effects, but with slightly different biotransformation pathways. The validity of the anticholinesterase kinetics is based on specific "selectophore" molecules which take part in the different phases of activation and degradation of the pesticides. The judicial use of critical and precise enzymatic changes, like those of glucronyl transferase with cholinesterase, are supplementary in the biomonitoring of people in pesticide exposure. In this article the rationale of using the anticholinesterase system is described, and correlations between the broad and general physicochemical structure function relationships of these pesticides and specific biological activity at target sites are illustrated. The secondary reactions such as those of detoxification/inactivation, are an equally important component of any biomonitoring system. Some of these should be incorporated into the study especially of long term/chronic subthreshold exposure, to be able to explain better the late occuring clinical pictures of pesticide exposure