Carmen Rubio

By Carmen Rubio, Artemio Rosiles-Abonce, Elisa Taddei and Moisés Rubio-Osornio

Many neurotoxic substances produce toxic effects on the nervous system. Given the neurotoxic substances found in the human body, certain people have been regarded as having a propensity to epileptic seizures. In many situations, the neurotransmission processes of these toxins are similar to the physiopathology of epilepsy. Epileptic models have been developed to induce seizures in animals, allowing researchers to study convulsive seizure mechanisms. Pentylenetetrazol, kainic acid, pilocarpine, penicillin, aluminum, bicuculline, picrotoxine, 4-aminopyridine, strictine, domoic acid, and other compounds fall under this category. However, there are some drugs used in clinical practice that can cause neurotoxicity as well. In this chapter, the predominant substances and drugs involved in epileptogenesis through neurotoxicity effects are reviewed. Throughout this chapter, we attempt to describe the mechanisms documented in the literature, in which epileptic seizures cause neurotoxicity in the brain by themselves, as shown with excitotoxicity mediated by glutamate and ions involved.

Part of the book: Neurotoxicity

By Alejandra Mora-Gutiérrez, Carmen Rubio, Ángel Alonso Romero-López and Moisés Rubio-Osornio

Insecticides are pesticides used to control insects in agriculture, ornamental gardens, homes, and veterinary medicine. Although the toxic effects on the environment and the health of living beings are not fully understood, these pesticides have become the first options for crop protection in agriculture. After herbicides, insecticides are the most extensively used pesticides in agriculture, with large quantities consumed on every continent, primarily in America. Chlorpyrifos, carbaryl, and imidacloprid are among the top ten most used insecticides. Amidst organophosphates, chlorpyrifos has been reported to be used in over fifty food crops. Carbaryl is a carbamate employed as an insecticide, fungicide, herbicide, and nematicide. Similarly, neonicotinoids are the most used insecticide on a global scale. Neonicotinoids include imidacloprid, the second most frequently used pesticide, surpassed only by glyphosate. It is used because it is less toxic to humans. However, insects appear to be less resistant to its compounds. Evidence suggests that these insecticides persist in soils for a long time and have neurotoxic effects in animal species not intended to receive its consequences. Thus, this chapter’s aim is to describe these three pesticides effects and contrast them with the most recent findings regarding their neurotoxic effects in various animal species.

Part of the book: Neurotoxicity