Synthetic Organophosphate toxicity leading to Neurodegenerative Disease Assessment through Biological Neuronal and Molecular Parameters

Abstract

Pesticides have become an inseparable component of our lifestyle leaving back irreversible cognitive impairments like neurodegenerative diseases: a global incurable threat. Researchers and government agencies are straining upon their optimum concentrations, mode of action and neurotoxic symptoms but their association with the human brain is still unidentified. Therefore, innovative strategies to identify disease triggering agents and subsequent neuroprotective drugs are the mainstream focus of most research. This study focuses to evaluate multi-level toxicity of organophosphate pesticides for their neurotoxic effects in model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Exposure of toxicants caused alteration in behavioral and developmental endpoints like locomotion, egg-laying, offspring, learning, mortality, and growth, which was verified with neuronal damage of cholinergic and glutamatergic neurons with the help of GFP induced transgenic strains (OH13083 and OH11124). On further evaluation, Alzheimer s specific genes i.e., apl-1, hop-1, sel-12 and ptl-1 were analyzed with RT-PCR to see the neurotoxic effect of trichlorfon at the molecular level. Our findings focusing on long term exposure of varied toxicants in C. elegans aids in reliable diagnostic endpoints for pesticide contamination thus accelerating evaluation of ecotoxicological effects of neurotoxins in Alzheimer s diseases. In disciplines of developmental biology and neuroscience, C. elegans has shown to be an essential model organism. Within the biomedical context, neurotoxicity is one of the subfields that greatly benefits from the C. elegans model. This neurodegenerative disease not only affect an individual s life but also become a burden on society and caretakers. By far, no cure has been found that helps in the long run. Consequently, our study helps in recognizing the hazardous effects of the unaware environmental agents that we are encountering in our daily life directly or indirectly. Limiting the use of such pesticides can help in getting a healthier life with a sound mind as well. The outcome of this research proposes a foundation for future work where we will explore the mechanisms of action of disease progression and focus on treatments using naturally occurring compounds and use of biopesticides instead of synthetic pesticides. newline newline newline newline