Pesticide residues: Bridging the gap between environmental exposure and chronic disease through omics
Lingling Cao, Qiyuan Kang, Yuan Tian
Abstract
Pesticide residues, resulting from agricultural practices, pose significant health and environmental risks. This review synthesizes the current understanding of pesticide impacts on the immune system, highlighting their role in chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, Parkinson's disease (PD) and cancer. We emphasize the significant role of omics technologies in the study of pesticide toxicity mechanisms. The integration of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and epigenomics offers a multidimensional strategy for a comprehensive assessment of pesticide effects, facilitating personalized risk management and policy formulation. We advocate for stringent regulatory policies, public education, and global cooperation to enhance food safety and environmental sustainability. By adopting a unified approach, we aim to mitigate the risks of pesticide residues, ensuring human health and ecological balance are preserved. • Pesticides may affect immunity by impacting T cells, B cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells, raising disease risk. • Review links pesticide exposure to higher chronic disease risk, hinting long-term low doses may aid disease development. • Omics integration provides a multi-faceted approach to assess pesticide residue impact and uncover toxicity mechanisms.