Title:Effects of Pesticides Carried by Foods on Human Gut Microbiota
Volume: 1
Author(s): Lucía Varela Rodríguez, Aroa Lopez-Santamarina*, Alicia del Carmen Mondragón, Patricia Regal, Alexandre Lamas, Jose Antonio Rodriguez, José Manuel Miranda and Carlos Manuel Franco
Affiliation:
- Laboratorio de Higiene Inspección y Control de Alimentos, Departamento de Química Analítica, Nutrición y
Bromatología, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, 27002, Spain
Keywords:
Pesticide, gut microbiota, pollutants, dysbiosis, glyphosate, chlorpyrifos.
Abstract: The human gut microbiota is part of a delicate ecosystem that also involves the individual
in which it is hosted and the environment. Humans and their gut microbiota depend on each other to
maintain good health, but many external factors can contribute to the disruption of this balance and
lead to diseases. Pesticides are a good example of environmental pollutants to which humans are exposed
on a daily basis, mainly through diet. As a result, the composition and functionality of the gut
microbiota can be compromised, as the gastrointestinal tract is the first physical and biological barrier
with which they interact. Finally, through multiple and complex mechanisms, all this has repercussions
on the health status of the host, and the adverse effects of this gut microbiota–pesticide interaction
can manifest themselves in various ways, such as alteration of the diversity and abundance of the
different bacteria, both beneficial and pathogenic, that colonize the gastrointestinal tract, metabolic
and endocrine disorders, inflammation, dysregulation of the immune system and neurological disorders,
among many others. Therefore, this work aims to summarize the latest scientific evidence on the
effects of pesticides on the gut microbiota and the possible implications for human health as well as
animal models and in vitro cultures on which the different tests are carried out.
