Polymorphisms in DNA Repair Genes as Biomarkers of Susceptibility for Pesticide-Induced DNA Damage among Agricultural Workers: A Review

Pesticides induce oxidative DNA damage and genotoxic effects such as DNA single-strand breaks (SSBs), double-strand breaks (DSBs), DNA adducts, chromosomal aberrations, and enhanced sister chromatid exchanges. Such DNA damage can be repaired by DNA repair mechanisms. In humans, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are present in DNA repair genes involved in base excision repair (BER) (OGG1, XRCC1, and APE1), nucleotide excision repair (NER) (XPC, XPD, XPF, XPG, and ERCC1), and double-strand break repair (DSBR) (XRCC4 and RAD51). This systematic review intends to provide information about occupational pesticide exposure, genotoxic effects of pesticides as well as association of DNA repair gene polymorphisms with the risk of pesticide-induced DNA damage. Polymorphisms present in DNA repair genes may influence interindividual variation in DNA repair capacity (DRC) by altering the functional properties of DNA repair enzymes and thus modulate DNA damage. The mechanisms of oxidative damage and disrupted DNA repair caused by the pesticides explain the link between pesticide exposure and adverse health outcomes. These polymorphisms in DNA repair genes could be used as biomarkers of susceptibility for pesticide-induced DNA damage among agricultural workers. It could also be useful as a preventive measure by identifying the genetic susceptibility of agricultural workers to pesticide-induced oxidative stress as well as pesticide poisoning.