Pesticide Effect on Parkinson's Disease Risk Increased With CYP2D6 Variant

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Pesticide Effect on Parkinson's Disease Risk Increased With CYP2D6 Variant

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Apr 01 - Previous reports have suggested that

exposure to various pesticides raises the risk of Parkinson's disease. Now,

new research indicates that the risk is even higher in patients with a " poor

metabolizer " variant of cytochrome P450 D6 (CYP2D6), the enzyme system that

breaks down many pesticides.

The findings, which are reported in the ls of Neurology for March, are

based on a study of 247 Parkinson's disease patients and 676 controls

enrolled in the French health insurance organization for farmers and related

job classes. DNA analysis for a poor metabolizer variant, known as CYP2D6*4,

was performed in a subset of patients.

Consistent with previous reports, Dr. is Elbaz, from Hopital de la

Salpetriere in Paris, and colleagues found that even in patients with no

variant alleles pesticide exposure increased the risk of Parkinson's

disease. No elevated risk of Parkinson's disease was seen in unexposed

subjects regardless of the presence of variant alleles.

The highest Parkinson's disease risk occurred in pesticide-exposed patients

who were homozygous for the CYP2D6*4 allele, the authors note. Compared with

other exposed patients, such patients were 2.39-times more likely to have

Parkinson's disease.

" Larger studies and laboratory data may help to elucidate which pesticides

are metabolized through (the CYP2D6) pathway and have an effect on the risk

of Parkinson's disease, " the investigators conclude.

Ann Neurol 2004;55:430-434.