[Preliminary study on the impact of glyphosate on renal function in male occupational populations]

Objective: To explore the impact of glyphosate on renal function and its biomarkers in male occupationally exposed individuals, providing reference for glyphosate toxicity research. Methods: From May to June 2024, 32 male workers who had been engaged in glyphosate production and had detectable glyphosate in their urine were selected as the exposure group, and another 30 male workers without a history of occupational exposure to toxic substances were selected as the control group. Questionnaires and occupational health examinations were conducted for the workers, and the levels of renal function biomarkers and glyphosate concentrations in their biological samples were detected. Independent sample t-tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Spearman rank correlation analyses were used to analyze the differences and correlations among the various indicators. Results: The urine glyphosate concentration of the exposure group was 11.05 (3.95, 21.75) ng/ml, the urine N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) activity was 4.80 (2.05, 8.95) U/L, and the urine β(2)-microglobulin (β(2)-MG) level was 0.08 (0.08, 0.23) mg/L. The NAG activity and β(2)-MG levels of the exposure group were higher than those of the control group[2.70 (1.55, 2.80) U/L, 0.08 (0.08, 0.08) mg/L] (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of serum retinol-binding protein (RBP), cystatin C (Cys-C), creatinine (Cr), urea nitrogen (BUN), and uric acid (UA) between the two groups (P>0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the abnormal detection rates of the above indicators between the two groups (P>0.05). The correlations between the urine glyphosate concentration and the levels of various renal injury biomarkers in the exposure group was not statistically significant (P>0.05) . Conclusion: Long-term occupational exposure to glyphosate may cause a slight increase in NAG activity and β(2)-MG levels in the urine of male workers, suggesting an early impact on the renal tubules. Although no clear renal damage or dose-effect relationship was found, it is still recommended to conduct regular monitoring of renal tubular function for workers continuously engaged in glyphosate production.