Efeitos da exposição a pesticidas sobre a citotoxicidade e o potencial de membrana mitocondrial em células hepáticas humanas

Abstract

The intensive use of pesticides in modern agriculture has increased in recent decades, driven by the growing demand for food and the need to control pests and diseases in crops of great economic importance. However, human exposure to these compounds, especially through residues present in food and the environment, has raised concerns due to their potential toxic effects. The liver is one of the main target organs of toxicity caused by agricultural pesticides, as it plays a central role in the biotransformation and detoxification of these compounds. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of the fungicides dimethomorph (DIM) and fenpropimorph (FEN) on cell viability, metabolic activity, and mitochondrial membrane potential in human hepatic cells lines HepG2 and LX-2. The cells were treated for 24 hours with different concentrations of the fungicides and subjected to Sulforhodamine B (SRB), Alamar Blue and tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) assays. After 24 hours of exposure, DIM at 300 µM significantly reduced cell viability and metabolic activity in both HepG2 and LX-2 cells, whereas FEN reduced LX-2 cell viability at 1 µM. Alterations in mitochondrial membrane potential were also observed, with decreased TMRE fluorescence in HepG2 cells exposed to DIM and FEN and increased TMRE fluorescence in LX-2 cells, indicating concentration- and cell line-dependent mitochondrial responses. These findings contribute to the understanding of the cellular mechanisms associated with the toxicity of these fungicides and reinforce the importance of in vitro studies to support future risk assessments related to human exposure to pesticides.