Pesticides' Cornea Permeability-How Serious Is This Problem?

Area of Science:

• Toxicology
• Computational Chemistry
• Ocular Toxicology

Background:

• 348 pesticides from diverse chemical families were analyzed.
• Focus on cornea permeability and eye corrosion potential.
• Includes carbamates, organochlorines, organophosphorus compounds, pyrethroids, and triazines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop predictive models for pesticide cornea permeability.
• To assess the eye-corrosive potential of pesticides.
• To identify pesticide classes posing significant ocular risks.

Main Methods:

• Multivariate models for cornea permeability based on experimental data.
• Models incorporate lipophilicity (log P), log D at pH 7.4, and polar surface area (PSA).
• Artificial neural networks used for eye-corrosive potential assessment using physicochemical properties.

Main Results:

• Trans-corneal transport is possible for all studied pesticides to varying degrees.
• Highly lipophilic organochlorine and pyrethroid pesticides show reduced cornea permeability.
• Eye corrosion is a notable concern for organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides.

Conclusions:

• Pesticide eye corrosion is a significant toxicological concern.
• Organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides are particularly implicated in eye corrosion.
• Predictive modeling aids in understanding and mitigating ocular pesticide toxicity.