THE ROLE OF PESTICIDES IN THE ACTIVATION OF NEURODEGENERATIVE PROCESSES

Pesticides paraquat and rotenone have been suggested to provoke oxidative stress to the neuronal tissues in human brain. We have investigated cell viability and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after paraquat and rotenone treatment using the method of optical imaging. Paraquat and rotenone have increased ROS level and decreased cell viability in dose- dependent manner after 24 hours of incubation. These results suggest that the application of pesticides on neuronal cells leads to the activation of oxidative stress process and cell death which are the key mechanisms of the most common neurodegenerative diseases.