title: Paraquat research: do recent advances in limiting its toxicity make its use safer?
abstract: The use of the herbicide paraquat (1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridylium dichloride; PQ) has been fiercely challenged due to its severe acute toxicity, putative neurotoxicity after long-term exposure and lack of antidotes. Breakthrough research on PQ is therefore required for an effective risk control and to allow a safer use of PQ in the future. The silencing or inhibition of quinone oxidoreductase 2, a NAD(P)H-independent flavoenzyme, was shown to significantly attenuate PQ toxicity in vitro, in primary pneumocytes and astroglial U373 cells, and to strongly antagonize PQ-induced systemic toxicity and animal mortality. The novel results reported in this issue of BJP, added to recent findings using sodium salicylate and lysine acetylsalicylate, in which full survival of PQ-intoxicated rats was also achieved, open the door for new preventative and therapeutic strategies that may lead to safer use of this effective pesticide.
authors.affiliation: REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baltazar
authors.forename: Ricardo Jorge
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dinis-Oliveira
authors.forename: José Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Lourdes Bastos
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000931:Antidotes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D006540:Herbicides / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010269:Paraquat / Q000633:toxicity*; D011808:Quinone Reductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes; D006540:Herbicides; C419642:NRH - quinone oxidoreductase2; D011808:Quinone Reductases; D010269:Paraquat