Herbicide safety relative to common targets in plants and mammals.
Most modern herbicides have low mammalian toxicity. One of the reasons for this safety is that the target site for the herbicides is not often present in mammals. There are approximately 20 mechanisms of action that have been elucidated for herbicides. Of these, some do share common target sites with mammals. The mechanisms include formation of free radicals, protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PROTOX), glutamine synthetase (GS) and 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). PROTOX, HPPD and GS inhibitors have been shown to inhibit these enzymes in both plants and mammals and there are measurable effects in mammalian systems. However, the consequences of inhibiting a common target site in plants can be quite different than in animals. What may be a lethal event in plants, eg inhibition of HPPD, can have a beneficial effect in mammals, eg treatment for tyrosinemia type I. These chemicals also have low mammalian toxicity due to rapid metabolism and/or excretion of the herbicide from mammalian systems.
Shaner
Dale L
DL
USDA-ARS Water Management Unit, AERC Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. shaner@wmu.aerc.colostate.edu
D015111:4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D000495:Allosteric Site / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006540:Herbicides / Q000633:toxicity*; D008322:Mammals / Q000378:metabolism*; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D050768:Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase
D004798:Enzymes; D006540:Herbicides; D015111:4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate Dioxygenase; D044925:Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors; D050768:Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase; D005974:Glutamate-Ammonia Ligase; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase