Immunotoxicity of pesticides: perspectives and trends

In recent years, great concern has been expressed about genotoxic potential of pesticide chemicals. These toxic chemicals have become an integral part of the ecosystem and the human health effects of these agents are yet to be satisfactorily defined. The objectives of this review is to examine the sources of information available; evaluation of experimental protocols employed for assessment of immunological effects; and to study specific cellular and molecular locus which could be responsible for impaired immune responsiveness. It is emphasized that threshold level for the pesticide effect below which no effect would be seen, depends on the animal species, the method of testing for immune responses and type of antigen used. A comparative assessment of immune responses using different antigens is, therefore, an important aspect of pesticide immunotoxicity. In view of widespread use, distribution and stability of some of these compounds in the environment, pesticide exposure may play a greater role in suspected fragile immune system, and may result in altered disease susceptibility. An understanding of these risks depends, to a great extent, upon cellular and molecular events underlying pesticide-induced immune alterations in experimental animals. It is, therefore, proposed that pesticide chemicals may influence humoral immunity while having no detectable effect on cell-mediated immunity (CMI); immune dysfunction is related to dose and duration of pesticide exposure; a single assay of immune function may not be appropriate to detect pesticide-induced immune dysfunction; since many immune responses are genetically controlled, alterations in responsiveness to one challenge in a given animal model may not hold true in second one; although it has been established that pesticide chemicals can alter immune function, the mechanisms of action have yet to be determined. This paper also reviews the effects of pesticide on lymphocyte function and suggests that lymphocyte dysfunction may be an integral part of pesticide-induced immunosuppression and presents an approach which may serve to delineate the possible mechanisms of action. It is quite clear that pesticide-induced immunomodulation endangers humans and animals. This hazard should, therefore, not to be underestimated in evaluation of toxicity of these chemicals. However, additional research is needed in basic mechanism of immunotoxicity and identification of susceptibility factors which predispose to these reactions.