The objective of this study was to identify and evaluate the impact of exposure to mixtures of organochloride pesticides (OCPs) in agricultural workers by detecting their effects on the activity of the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the presence of polymorphisms of the GSTT1 and GSTM1 genes. The presence of OCPs was identified and quantified by gas chromatography, while spectrophotometry was used to measure enzymatic GST activity. The frequencies of the GSTM1 genotypes were analyzed by multiplex PCR. A total of 18 metabolites of OCPs were identified in the workers' blood, most of which are either prohibited (DDT and its metabolites p, p'DDD and p, p'DDE, dieldrin, endrin, aldrin) and/or restricted (δ hexachlorocyclohexane, cis chlordane, methoxychlor, and endosulfan). The results obtained indicate lower levels of GST activity at higher OCPs concentrations detected in blood from exposed workers, together with an increase in OCP levels in individuals who presented the GSTT1*0 and GSTM1*0 genotypes. These conditions place the detoxification process in agricultural workers with null polymorphisms in the GST genes and high concentrations of OCPs in the blood (especially DDT and its metabolites, DDD and DDE) at risk, and increase their susceptibility to develop serious diseases.
Keywords: Enzymatic activity; GST; GSTM1; GSTT1; Genetic polymorphisms; Organochloride pesticides.