Oxidative stress promotion: Disturbance of the prooxidant-antioxidant balance in favour of the

Pesticides and their alternatives are an undeniable part of modern life, used to protect everything from flower gardens to agricultural crops from specific pests (Saravi & Shokrzadeh, 2011) Pesticides are considered a vital component of modern farming, playing a major role in maintaining high agricultural productivity. Consequently, in high-input intensive agricultural production systems, the widespread use of pesticides to manage pests has emerged as a dominant feature (Saravi & Shokrzadeh, 2011) Pesticides comprise a large number of substances that belong to many different chemical classes, they are applied to crops at various stages of cultivation to provide protection against pests and during post-harvest storage to preserve quality, to ensure the safety of food for consumers and regulate international trade and legislation. Pesticides are considered to be essential for agricultural development; some of them can cause serious ambient contamination, principally in food (Sitta et al., 2000; Gonzalez et al., 2003). This hazard, could be further increased in case of vegetable fruits which are usually consumed freshly e.g. consumed vegetable fruits freshly contaminated with pesticide residues, more than allowable tolerance (Romeh et al., 2000). Various human health related

To understand pesticides, we must look at the facts about them. According to the EPA, pesticides are chemicals specifically designed and sold to prevent, destroy, or repel pests from garden, greenhouses, fields, and orchards (Learn About Chemicals Around Your House). Charlotte Gerber’s article, How Do Pesticides Kill Bugs, explained that pesticides targets insects and kills them by attacking the nervous system and then when the muscles are over-stimulated, this will lead to paralysis and death. The effect of the organophosphates that cause that in pesticides was discovered in the 1930's during World War II. They were used in the creation of nerve gas, which was used in chemical warfare. When used in lethal dosages for humans, organophosphates cause extreme excitability, convulsions, paralysis and in most cases, death (Gerber). According to Effects of Pesticides on Human Health, The World Health Organization estimates that there are 3 million cases of pesticide poisoning each year and up to 220,000 deaths, primarily in developing countries (Lah and Glibert 2011). Children, and any other young and developing organisms, are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of pesticides. Even very low levels of exposure during development may have adverse health effects. Exposure can even lead to neurological health effects such as memory loss, loss of

Symptoms of pesticide poisoning are often deceptively misdiagnosed as flu or allergies. Other problems associated with the use of chemicals include headaches, nausea, fever, breathing difficulties, high blood pressure, and temporary paralysis. The National Academy of Sciences reports that at least one out of seven people are significantly harmed by pesticide exposure each year (American Defender Network, 1989). Unfortunately, due to the high costs of inspection, tests for pesticide poisoning are rarely performed.

These superoxides may be dangerous because they alter the structure of iron and protein via reduction. They may also undergo dismutation to form hydrogen peroxide which, in turn, gives rise to hydroxyl radicals, the most reactive ROS (Gulumian and Van Wyk, 1987; Agarwal et al., 2005). Hydrogen peroxide is not a free radical but its neutral charge allows it to pass through cell membranes and so this makes it very dangerous (Kurutas, 2015). Other internal or endogenous sources for these free radicals are inflammation, xanthine oxidase, peroxisomes, phagocytosis, exercise and ischaemia. Exogenous factors which lead to the development of these ROS include smoking, ozone, environmental pollutants, radiation, pesticides and drugs (Lobo et al.,

Karr and Council of Environmental Health. “Pesticide Exposure in Children.” Pediatrics 130.6 (2006): e1765-e1788. Web. 9 Oct 2015. . This article introduces types of pesticides that are exposed and harmful to children. Different examples of pesticides are classified and explained for its common use. Children are exposed to pesticides through ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact. However, the most common and unintentional way to be exposed to pesticides is through ingestion in the food we eat. The article shows statistical values on the level of pesticides in fruits, vegetables, and grain products. The authors also point out that water can be contaminated with pesticides which is harmful for children. Clinical signs and symptoms of toxicity to pesticides is also addressed in the article. I will use this article to argue that levels of pesticides in non organic food is threatening to

As you may know, antioxidants promote good health as they help avoid diseases. More specifically, antioxidants help slow down the oxidation of cells in our body. When cells oxidize, they generate free radicals, which are also known as cellular bi-products. It is perfectly safe to have a manageable amount of these free radicals in the body. However, when the free radicals are in excess, they can wreak havoc on our organism's cellular

It is also shown that pesticides are partly responsible for the rising cancer rates and birth defects among children (“Pesticides”).

Oxidative stress can be closely compared to “rusting” of mammal’s cells. Free radicals are unstable molecules that ravage or “oxidize” cells throughout the body in a process

Module ten discussed oxidative stress, and the causes, as well as consequences of liver disorders. Oxidative stress occurs when there is an abnormal balance between nonspecific oxidation reactions, and the body's ability to counteract them. A nonspecific oxidation reaction refers to one that involves free radicals reacting in a disorderly fashion with other molecules. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that can cause cellular damage, targeting that of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Free radicals within the body can lead to fragmentation of proteins causing them to have an abnormal function, oxidize polysaturated lipids at their double bond causing disruption in the membrane function, and cause mutations in DNA. Antioxidants react directly with free radicals in the body to render them inactive. Some antioxidant

Excessively high levels of free radicals cause damage to vital cellular components such as proteins, membrane lipids, and nucleic acids, and finally lead to cell death (Maritim, Sanders & Watkins 2003).

The use of pesticides has been very harmful for humans. In Daniel Pepper’s “The Toxic Consequences of the Green Revolution,” it states that in India because of the excessive use of pesticides, people have gotten cancer, along with stillborn children and kidney failure. With these serious illnesses, it gives more body to the argument.

Anti-oxidants are substances capable to mop up free radicals and prevent them from causing cell damage. Free radicals are responsible for causing a wide number of health problems which include cancer, aging, heart diseases, gastric problems etc. A free radical is an atom or molecule with a single unpaired electron. Examples: Nitric oxide (.NO), superoxide (O2.-) hydroxyl radical (.OH), lipid peroxy radical (LOO.). Although, molecular oxygen (O2) has two unpaired electrons in two different orbitals, it is not a free radical (23). After donating an electron, an antioxidant becomes a free radical by definition. In this state, antioxidants are not harmful because they have the ability to accommodate the change in electrons without becoming reactive

This free radical, which is initially formed as relatively unreactive, reacts very rapidly with oxygen to yield a highly reactive trichloromethyl peroxy radical (CCl3OO•). Both radicals are capable of binding to proteins or lipids, or abstracting a hydrogen atom from an unsaturated lipid, thus, initiating lipid peroxidation (Halliwell, and Gutteridge, 1990; Williams, and Burk, 1990; Lee, and Jeong, 2002). Lipid peroxidation may cause peroxidative tissue damage in inflammation, cancer, aging, ulcer, cirrhosis, and atherosclerosis. Therefore, inhibition of the cytochrome P450-dependent oxygenase activity could cause a reduction in the level of toxic reactive metabolites and a decrease in tissue injury. On the other hand, an elevation of plasma AST and ALT activities could be regarded as a sign of damage to the liver cell

(n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2016, from http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs hsdb:@term @DOCNO 665). Indirect exposure that usually occurs when the pollutant is ingested by consuming food that has been treated by the chemical. The health risk is not as great as indirect exposure, however, there is still some risk. 3 According to the Agency for Toxic Substances & Diseases Registry “There is no conclusive proof that malathion causes cancer in humans, although some studies have found increased incidence of some cancers in people who are regularly exposed to pesticides, such as farmers and pesticide applicators”(Toxic Substance Portal- Malathion. (2003, September). 4 Retrieved February 28, 2016, from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=521&tid=92).

They have the capacity to stay oxidize and help balance other molecules. Antioxidants have the remarkable ability to repair damaged molecules by donating hydrogen atoms to the molecules. The antioxidants neutralize the free radicals. Unfortunately, the antioxidants produced naturally by the body are not enough to neutralize all of the free radicals in the body. Therefore, a constant supply of external sources of antioxidants should be a part of one's daily diet, in order to reduce oxidative stress and related