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The Use of Cholinesterases in Ecotoxicology

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Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 212

Part of the book series: Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology ((RECT,volume 212))

Abstract

The need for reproducible and accurate biomarkers in Environmental Toxicology has led researchers to implement methods to evaluate the physiological effects caused by contaminants. Such methods are of particular biological importance and ecological interest if they allow the measurement of direct impairment of key endpoints in the test organisms or nontarget species. Neurotransmission impairment via cholinesterase ChE inhibition is the target of two important classes of modern ­pesticides, the ­organophosphates (OPs), and the carbamates (CBs). Because of their extensive use in modern agriculture, these two classes of compounds are widely employed. Metcalfe et al. (2002) estimated for the California Department of Food and Agriculture that the ban from current agricultural use of such compounds would cause the loss of 209,000 jobs and would result in a national economic loss of $17 billion. Therefore, it is not difficult to conclude that these chemical agents will continue to be used, despite the fact that humans and many nontarget organisms are exposed to them (spray drift from crop application, run off from agricultural fields that contaminate adjacent water bodies, residues in food, etc.) (Vermeire et al. 2001).

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Acknowledgments

The present work was funded by projects “BiOtoMetal” (PTDC/AMB/70431/2006). We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Sérgio Barreira, for his most appreciated scientific comments and chemical expertise.

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  1. CIAGEB, FCS-UFP: Global Change, Energy Environment and Bioengineering Unit, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da, Universidade Fernando Pessoa, Rua Carlos da Maia, 296, 4200-150, Porto, Portugal

    Bruno Nunes

  2. CESAM-LA, Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Laboratório Associado, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Bruno Nunes

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    David M. Whitacre

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Nunes, B. (2011). The Use of Cholinesterases in Ecotoxicology. In: Whitacre, D. (eds) Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Volume 212. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol 212. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8453-1_2

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