Comparison of Serum PON1 and Liver Enzyme Levels in Residents Living Near and Far from Agricultural Farms: Evidence of Potential Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Hourani Center for Applied Scientific Research, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, Jordan

2 Department of Surgical Diseases, Samarkand State Medical University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

3 Department of Surgical Diseases N 3, Tashkent State Medical University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

4 Department of Pharmacy, Al-Noor University College, Nineveh, Iraq

5 Centre for Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, India

6 Department of General Medicine, Sharda University, Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida, India

7 University Institute of Pharma Sciences, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India

8 Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, The Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq

10.22124/cjes.2026.9782

Abstract

 Exposure to agricultural pesticides, particularly organophosphates, may be associated with a reduction in the antioxidant enzyme PON1. This exploratory study was designed to compare PON1 and liver enzyme levels in individuals residing in areas exposed and unexposed to agricultural farms as potential sources of organophosphate exposure.  A cross-sectional study was carried out on 81 subjects (45 people belonging to the exposed group, who lived within 500 meters of distance, and 36 subjects belonging to the unexposed group, who lived beyond 1500 meters). Levels of PON1, ALT, and AST were measured. Considering the cross-sectional design of the study and absence of any direct pesticide level assessment, results need to be taken as exploratory.  The average value of PON1 was observed to be statistically significantly lower in the exposed group than the unexposed group (132.2 ± 28.1 vs. 161.1 ± 32.8 U/L; p < 0.001). In addition, the values of ALT and AST were observed to increase among the exposed group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Being exposed to the farms was independently associated with lower values of PON1 (β = -29.7; 95% CI: -43.9 to -15.4; P <0.001). The level of E-value was 2.4.  In this study population, residing within a distance of less than 500 meters from agricultural farms—as a proxy for potential organophosphate pesticide exposure—was associated with lower mean PON1 and higher ALT levels. Confirmation of these findings requires prospective cohort studies with direct measurement of pesticide biomarkers.

Keywords

References

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Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 24, Issue 4
October 2026
Pages 1013-1021

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