Protective effects of dietary flavonoids against pesticide-induced toxicity: A review

Pesticide exposure is closely associated with the incidence of various severe diseases in humans, including immune dysfunctions, respiratory problems and neurobehavioral disorders. Although several drugs are utilized for the treatment of pesticide intoxication in patients, the side effects have limited their use. It has been demonstrated that generation of oxidative stress is a main mechanism involved in pesticide-induced toxicity. Naturally, there is an increasing interest in screening safe antioxidants and evaluating their potentials of reducing oxidative stress induced by pesticides. Flavonoids are members of the polyphenol family and possess strong antioxidant properties. Based on the results of previous studies, a series of dietary flavonoids exhibit protective effects against pesticide-induced toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. This paper mainly focused on the preventive roles of quercetin, naringin, naringenin, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, hesperidin, rutin, apigenin, luteolin and taxifolin against pesticide-induced toxicity in cell and animal models. The possible mechanisms for the protection of these flavonoids from pesticide-induced toxicity were critically reviewed as well. Dietary flavonoids could protect cells and animals from pesticide toxicity through their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, anti-mutagenic, anti-stress properties, effects on improving organ functions, activating the immune system, promoting the xenobiotic excretion from the body, modulating the levels of neurotransmitters and hormones as well as regulating lipid and energy metabolisms. In addition, we introduced the issues that need to be resolved in future investigations and pointed out current challenges of developing flavonoids into therapeutic agents for pesticide intoxication. •Flavonoids can effectively reduce pesticide-induced toxicity in cells and animals.•Flavonoids with protective effects against pesticide toxicity are summarized.•Mechanisms of flavonoid-induced protection against pesticide toxicity are reviewed.•Several issues that need to be resolved in future studies are discussed.