The Biological Effects of Bifenthrin on T-cells and Neurons: A Comparison of Activity

Nandi, A.; Chandi, D.; Thurber, C.; DeLuca, L.; Pryor, Stephen; McLaughlin, A.; Gibson, L.; Bonventre, Josephine; Flynn, K.; Weeks, Benjamin

The Biological Effects of Bifenthrin on T-cells and Neurons: A Comparison of Activity

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Biology, Adelphi University, One South Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530

² Neuroscience Research Institute, State University of New York, College at Old Westbury, P.O. Box 210, Old Westbury, NY 11568

Abstract

Pyrethroids are considered a less toxic class of pesticides and are therefore increasingly formulated for
household use. In current study we compare the toxicity of the pyrethroid (bifenthrin) with the
organochlorine (lindane) and the mitochondrial poison (rotenone) to mammalian T-cells and neurons.
Cells were treated for twenty-four hours with various concentrations of pesticide and then assessed for
morphology and measured for viability using trypan blue exclusion. Lindane and rotenone produced an
LD50 of 500 μM and 500 nM, respectively, in T-cells and 5 μM and 250 nM, respectively, in neurons.
Lindane and rotenone had a lowest observable effect level (LOEL) of 100 μM and 50 nM, respectively,
in T-cells and 100 nM and 1 nM, respectively, in neurons. Significant toxicity was observed with lindane
and rotenone, whereas bifenthrin did not reduce the viability of either cell type at concentrations as high
as 1 mM. However, bifenthrin stimulated T-cell homotypic aggregation which is associated with cell
activation. Further, bifenthrin inhibited the neurons from forming neurites. While these results support
the claim that pyrethroids are less toxic than many other pesticides, they raise concerns that chronic
exposure to pyrethroids could contribute to inflammation and hypersensitivity and also to developmental
neurotoxicity and neurodegenerative diseases.

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