Common wheat fungicide disrupts cell energy production in mice
Shi L, Li W, Zhu X, Zhang H, Yang L
Soil Health
If you grow food near farms that spray triazole fungicides on wheat, canola, or soybeans, this research identifies exactly how that chemical residue could disrupt your body's basic energy metabolism.
Researchers looked at prothioconazole, a fungicide farmers use on grain crops to fight fungal disease, and found that when mice were exposed to it over time, their bodies struggled to properly break down fats, amino acids, and produce cellular energy. The team also found specific molecules in blood and urine that spike or drop after exposure, which could work as an early warning signal for people who've been in contact with this chemical.
Key Findings
The fungicide's breakdown product (dPTC) showed different toxicity than the parent compound, with IC50 values of 102.8 and 167.3 μmol/L respectively in liver cells
Chronic 28-day exposure in mice disrupted the tricarboxylic acid (energy) cycle, amino acid breakdown, and gut bacteria interactions
Three biomarkers (corticosterone, equol, uric acid) showed strong diagnostic accuracy (AUC > 0.95) for detecting cellular exposure
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists studied how prothioconazole, a widely-used fungicide sprayed on crops like wheat and canola, affects the body's metabolism in mice and human liver cells. They found it disrupts energy production and identified specific chemical markers in blood that could help detect exposure to this pesticide.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Integrated cell-mouse metabolomics reveals toxicity mechanisms and biomarkers of prothioconazole exposure.
Prothioconazole (PTC) is one of the most widely used triazole fungicides worldwide, while its major metabolite, prothioconazole-desthio (dPTC), exhibits enhanced toxicological potential. However, t...
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