NIH study finds 2 pesticides associated with Parkinson's disease

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NIH study finds 2 pesticides associated with Parkinson's disease

February 14, 2011

New research shows a link between use of two pesticides, rotenone and paraquat,

and Parkinson's disease. People who used either pesticide developed Parkinson's

disease approximately 2.5 times more often than non-users.

The study was a collaborative effort conducted by researchers at the National

Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is part of the

National Institutes of Health, and the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center

in Sunnyvale, Calif.

" Rotenone directly inhibits the function of the mitochondria, the structure

responsible for making energy in the cell, " said Freya Kamel, Ph.D., a

researcher in the intramural program at NIEHS and co-author of the paper

appearing online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. " Paraquat

increases production of certain oxygen derivatives that may harm cellular

structures. People who used these pesticides or others with a similar mechanism

of action were more likely to develop Parkinson's disease.

The authors studied 110 people with Parkinson's disease and 358 matched controls

from the Farming and Movement Evaluation (FAME) Study

(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/atniehs/labs/epi/studies/fame/index.cfm) to

investigate the relationship between Parkinson's disease and exposure to

pesticides or other agents that are toxic to nervous tissue. FAME is a

case-control study that is part of the larger Agricultural Health Study

(http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/atniehs/labs/epi/studies/ahs/index.cfm), a

study of farming and health in approximately 90,000 licensed pesticide

applicators and their spouses. The investigators diagnosed Parkinson's disease

by agreement of movement disorder specialists and assessed the lifelong use of

pesticides using detailed interviews.

There are no home garden or residential uses for either paraquat or rotenone

currently registered. Paraquat use has long been restricted to certified

applicators, largely due to concerns based on studies of animal models of

Parkinson's disease. Use of rotenone as a pesticide to kill invasive fish

species is currently the only allowable use of this pesticide.

" These findings help us to understand the biologic changes underlying

Parkinson's disease. This may have important implications for the treatment and

ultimately the prevention of Parkinson's disease, " said Caroline Tanner, M.D.,

Ph.D., clinical research director of the Parkinson's Institute and Clinical

Center, and lead author of the article.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/nioe-nsf021411.php