Common fungicide mancozeb disrupts gut bacteria and liver in mice
Ge H, Cui M, Liu Y, Wu X, Huang C
Food Safety
If you spray mancozeb on your tomatoes or apple trees to fight blight, this study is a reminder that fungicide residue doesn't just protect the plant, it can travel into a body's gut and liver and shift the balance of bacteria living there.
Mancozeb is a fungicide gardeners and farmers use to stop fungal diseases on crops like potatoes, tomatoes, and grapes. Researchers fed it to mice at different doses and found it built up in the digestive tract, stressed the liver, made the gut more permeable, and changed which bacteria thrived in the intestines. It also disrupted chemical messengers like acetylcholine and histamine and turned down genes the body uses to break down toxins, raising questions about how safe repeated low-dose exposure really is.
Key Findings
Mancozeb accumulated mainly in the colon, cecum, and feces, with doses tested at 1, 10, and 100 mg/kg body weight
Exposure raised liver stress markers (ALT, AST, malondialdehyde) while lowering antioxidant enzymes SOD and glutathione peroxidase, and increased gut bacteria like Ileibacterium by 2.21 to 5.54-fold
Transcriptomic analysis showed immune-related genes turned up and drug-metabolism genes turned down, alongside increased acetylcholine, histamine, and indole compound levels in the gut
chevron_right Technical Summary
A common fungicide called mancozeb, widely sprayed on crops to fight fungal disease, was shown in a mouse study to disrupt gut bacteria, damage liver function, and alter brain-signaling chemicals after oral exposure.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Changes in the gut microbiome and neurotransmitters induced by mancozeb.
Mancozeb is widely used as a broad-spectrum fungicide, and its potential effects on the gut-liver-kidney axis remain incompletely understood. In this study, we used an experimental oral exposure mo...
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