Abstract

Pesticide exposure has been associated with acute and chronic adverse health effects. Current evidence supports that epigenetics may mediate these effects. DNA methylation (DNAm) is one of the broadly investigated epigenetic alteration. Therefore, to date, only limited human data is linking pesticide exposure to global DNAm alterations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize pesticides exposure in women of reproductive age and investigate whether DNA methylation patterns were related to pesticides exposure level.

In a pilot study among 100 women from Meknes (Morocco), we measured 45 analytes (parent molecules and their metabolites) from three chemical families of pesticides: Organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids, in urine and hair using HPLC/MS-MS and GC/MS. Commercial kits were used for quantification of 8-OHdG. We used LC/MS for measuring GSH. Pyrosequencing was used to measure Alu and LINE-1 methylation in DNA isolated from whole blood samples.

Pesticides are associated with genomic instability, which is proposed to be sensitive to nutritional intake and may also induce epigenetic changes. We evaluated the effect of life style and dietary intake on epigenetic instability in women. Our research prompts a re-thinking of the role of epigenetics on the understanding of the environmental exposure. We will then explore the role of epigenetic changes in the onset of cancer through the oxidative stress and DNA damage pathways.