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ARS Home » Plains Area » Manhattan, Kansas » Center for Grain and Animal Health Research » Grain Quality and Structure Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #387349
Research Project: Grain Composition Traits Related to End-Use Quality and Value of Sorghum

Location: Grain Quality and Structure Research

Title: Permethrin inhibits tube formation and viability of endothelial cells

Author
item LEE, HEE-SEOP - University Of Maryland
item PARK, YEONHWA - University Of Massachusetts
item Smolensky, Dmitriy
item LEE, SEONG-HO - University Of Maryland

Submitted to: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/22/2021
Publication Date: 1/8/2022
Citation: Lee, H., Park, Y., Smolensky, D., Lee, S. 2022. Permethrin inhibits tube formation and viability of endothelial cells. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 102. Article 11757. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.11757.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.11757

Interpretive Summary: Permethrin is an anti-parasitic that prevents mosquito and other insect bites. It is used widely in the agricultural setting and is used to treat clothes that come in contact with human skin. Excessive exposure to permethrin has been linked to deleterious health effects such as atherosclerosis, obesity and diabetes. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of permethrin on the development of vascular tissue in a tissue culture model. While permethrin was not found to be toxic to the cells by multiple experiments, it did inhibit vascular tube formation. These results suggest more research is needed to study the potential health hazards of permethrin.

Technical Abstract: Exposure to environmental chemicals leads to endothelial dysfunction which is a leading cause of human diseases including atherosclerosis. Permethrin is frequently used synthetic pyrethroid insecticide and longer exposure may cause toxicities in several types of tissues and develop human metabolic diseases including atherosclerosis, obesity and diabetes. The current study was designed to evaluate the potential adverse effect of permethrin on function and activity of human endothelial cells. Permethrin represses migration and tube formation of HUVEC in a dose-dependent manner. Permethrin represses viability of HUVECs significantly after 24 and 48 h treatment. Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and its release was observed in the cells treated with permethrin and this permethrin-induced repression of cell viability is ROS dependent. Permethrin did not influence apoptosis, necrosis and mitochondrial membrane potential of HUVECs. The present study suggests that permethrin represses angiogenesis and viability through ROS-dependent and cell growth-, apoptosis- and necrosis-independent ways.