Phytoconstituents in the Management of Pesticide Induced Parkinson’s Disease- A Review

Abstract

Recent studies have suggested that environmental factors have a crucial role in triggering and/ or propagating the pathological changes in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Although many studies have been and being performed by utilizing MPTP like chemicals to study the effectiveness of new extracts and compounds in PD, a little focus was made on the role of pesticides. Since agricultural fields account for 37.7% of land area worldwide and the use of pesticides is an important risk factor in neurodegeneration, there is a crucial need to focus on the association between pesticides and PD. Benomyl, a benzimidazole fungicide is being widely used in India in cultivation of tropical crops. Studies prove the chronic exposure of benomyl leads to aldehyde dehydrogenase inhibition caused DOPAL toxicity, subsequently leading to dopamine degradation and Parkinson’s disease. Till date, there is no remedy for pesticide induced Parkinson’s disease. This review provides an insight of the pathophysiological aspects of pesticide induced Parkinson’s disease and also enlightens the importance of aldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme in neuroprotection.