Comparative study of oxidative stress in cancer patients occupationally exposed to the mixture of pesticides

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Reviews indicated a positive relationship between exposure to pesticides and the development of cancers. In the present study, we have estimated the level of oxidative stress markers in serum samples of pesticide exposure and unexposed cancer patients as compared to normal control. We have found a significant decrease in peroxygenase (PON) and arylesterase (ARE) activity and substantial increases in homocysteine levels in both cancer groups. The level of heme biosynthesis rate-limiting enzymes delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (δ-ALA-D) also significantly decreased compared to control. The statistical comparison between the cancer groups does not show significant changes. We concluded the involvement of oxidative stress in carcinogenesis in both cancer group patients. However, more study is needed to put homocysteine as a novel marker for a variety of diseases on a single platform.