Differential Effects of Glyphosate and Roundup on Human Placental Cells and Aromatase

Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide used worldwide, including on most genetically modified plants that have been designed to tolerate it. Its residues may thus enter the food chain, and glyphosate is found as a contaminant in rivers. Some agricultural workers using glyphosate have pregnancy problems, but its mechanism of action in mammals is questioned. Here we show that glyphosate is toxic to human placental JEG3 cells within 18 hr with concentrations lower than those found with agricultural use, and this effect increases with concentration and time or in the presence of Roundup adjuvants. Surprisingly, Roundup is always more toxic than its active ingredient. We tested the effects of glyphosate and Roundup at lower nontoxic concentrations on aromatase, the enzyme responsible for estrogen synthesis. The glyphosate-based herbicide disrupts aromatase activity and mRNA levels and interacts with the active site of the purified enzyme, but the effects of glyphosate are facilitated by the Roundup formulation in microsomes or in cell culture. We conclude that endocrine and toxic effects of Roundup, not just glyphosate, can be observed in mammals. We suggest that the presence of Roundup adjuvants enhances glyphosate bioavailability and/or bioaccumulation

Branched-chain and aromatic amino acid catabolism into aroma volatiles in Cucumis melo L. fruit

The unique aroma of melons (Cucumis melo L., Cucurbitaceae) is composed of many volatile compounds biosynthetically derived from fatty acids, carotenoids, amino acids, and terpenes. Although amino acids are known precursors of aroma compounds in the plant kingdom, the initial steps in the catabolism of amino acids into aroma volatiles have received little attention. Incubation of melon fruit cubes with amino acids and α-keto acids led to the enhanced formation of aroma compounds bearing the side chain of the exogenous amino or keto acid supplied. Moreover, L-[13C6]phenylalanine was also incorporated into aromatic volatile compounds. Amino acid transaminase activities extracted from the flesh of mature melon fruits converted L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-valine, L-methionine, or L-phenylalanine into their respective α-keto acids, utilizing α-ketoglutarate as the amine acceptor. Two novel genes were isolated and characterized (CmArAT1 and CmBCAT1) encoding 45.6 kDa and 42.7 kDa proteins, respectively, that displayed aromatic and branched-chain amino acid transaminase activities, respectively, when expressed in Escherichia coli. The expression of CmBCAT1 and CmArAT1 was low in vegetative tissues, but increased in flesh and rind tissues during fruit ripening. In addition, ripe fruits of climacteric aromatic cultivars generally showed high expression of CmBCAT1 and CmArAT1 in contrast to non-climacteric non-aromatic fruits. The results presented here indicate that in melon fruit tissues, the catabolism of amino acids into aroma volatiles can initiate through a transamination mechanism, rather than decarboxylation or direct aldehyde synthesis, as has been demonstrated in other plants

Pesticides in Formulations: New Revolutionary Findings

Everything began with the discovery that pesticides have long had unintended side effects on non-target species, which is illustrated by Ponepal et al [...

Role inhibiteur de l'alphafoetoproteine sur la fonction genitale du rat

SIGLECNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Dataset of compounds in herbicides without glyphosate

Linked to "Data in Brief" with the same title and to the Research Paper "Toxic Compounds in Herbicides Without Glyphosate in Food and Chemical Toxicology just accepted DOI : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2020.111770 Abstract : Glyphosate has been banned in some herbicidal formulations. We analyse for the first time 14 marketed products where glyphosate was replaced by acetic, pelargonic, caprylic or capric acids, or even benzalkonium chloride, to be supposedly less toxic. 35 heavy metals, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and essential minerals were tested by specific mass spectrometry associated with gas chromatography or inductively coupled plasma methods in the formulations. Essential minerals do not reach toxic levels, but heavy metals are found at levels up to 39 mg/L, depending on the product, and include silicon, arsenic, lead, iron, nickel, and titanium. Their presence at up to several hundred times the admissible levels in water may be due to nanoparticles embedding pesticides. PAHs reach levels of 32–2430 μg/L in 12 of the 14 samples; for instance, the carcinogen benzo(A)pyrene was detected. It was found to be present at up to several thousand times above the norm in water, as was benzo(A)anthracene. These compounds did not add significant herbicidal effects. Low levels of glyphosate were detected in 2 samples. These variable levels of undeclared toxic chemicals violate European Union rules on pesticides and may have health and environmental consequences, especially when exposure is long-term

Les OGM et la recherche : science ou business ? Risques Toxiques et Environnementaux liés aux Plantes Transgéniques commercialisées.

Présentation du sujet     Sur 44 millions d’hectares à la surface de la planète, les OGM actuels sont à 99% des plantes à pesticides, après dix-sept années de recherches et six ans de multiples commercialisations. Soit ils tolèrent un désherbant, pouvant ainsi l’absorber sans mourir, tel le soja au Roundup, ou alors ils produisent un insecticide dans leurs cellules, comme le maïs Bt. Malheureusement, le tonnage d’insecticides utilisés aux Etats Unis n’a pas diminué depuis l’introduction des m..

Modifications de l'expression du gène de l'aromatase (par mutations, interférence avec l'ARNm et xénobiotiques)

CAEN-BU Sciences et STAPS (141182103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Le manque d'évaluation des technosciences. Le cas des biotechnologies, des pesticides et de la santé humaine

International audiencePlan : 1. OGM et société, les raisons d’un divorce - 2. Risques sanitaires et environnementaux identifiés - 3. Un déficit structurel d’expertise publique face à des risques avérés - 4. L’évaluation des biotechnologies par les sociétés civiles européennes : critères pertinents - Open science ou science participative ? - Principales propositions pour améliorer la participation sur invitation (au niveau institutionnel) - 10 principes pour une participation efficac