Pesticides constitute a category of chemical products intended specifically for the control and mitigation of pests. With their constant increase in use, the risk to human health and the environment has increased proportionally due to occupational and environmental exposure to these compounds. The use of these chemicals is associated with several toxic effects related to acute and chronic toxicity, such as infertility, hormonal disorders and cancer. The present work aimed to study the metabolic profile of individuals occupationally exposed to pesticides, using a metabolomics tool to identify potential new biomarkers. Metabolomics analysis was carried out on plasma and urine samples from individuals exposed and non-exposed occupationally, using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS). Non-targeted metabolomics analysis, using principal component analysis (PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) or partial least squares discriminant orthogonal analysis (OPLS-DA), demonstrated good separation of the samples and identified 21 discriminating metabolites in plasma and 17 in urine. The analysis of the ROC curve indicated the compounds with the greatest potential for biomarkers. Comprehensive analysis of the metabolic pathways influenced by exposure to pesticides revealed alterations, mainly in lipid and amino acid metabolism. This study indicates that the use of metabolomics provides important information about complex biological responses.

Commonly used by farmers, glyphosate has become the subject of many studies in recent years. However, these studies investigate and correlate glyphosate exposure to the most diverse physiological, motor, sensory, respiratory and hepatic functions, and possibly be related to causes of carcinogenicity and genotoxicity. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate whether the population living in rural area of Paraguaçu, Brazil, presents evidence of chronic intoxication by glyphosate-based formulations through the evaluation of clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory data. A total of 162 samples were collected and analyzed using 53 samples from individuals who reported no contact with glyphosate for the control sample. Biochemical analyzes were performed on automated equipment, while cholinesterase was performed by Ellman's kinetic method. Data were submitted to statistical analysis, where changes in the nervous, respiratory, auditory, cutaneous and urinary systems were observed. Through the analysis of the data, associated with the literature information on the symptoms and damage generated by glyphosate, it can be concluded that the population living in the rural area, practicing family farming, has strong indications of having chronic poisoning by formulations based on glyphosate.