Links between paraquat and parkinson's disease

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014. All rights reserved. Parkinson's disease (PD) is currently regarded as the most common degenerative disorder of the aging brain after Alzheimer's dementia. Much progress has been made in identifying the genes involved in familial, or inherited, PD. However, the majority of cases are sporadic (not inherited) and their origin(s) still remain largely undetermined. The environment is a key contributor to human health and disease. Epidemiological evidence suggests that environmental factors play a role in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases. Particularly, paraquat (PQ) has been largely demonstrated to induce cell death in a variety of cell types and tissues associated with PD. The study of PQ-induced neurotoxicity has provided valuable insight into the mechanisms regulating neuronal cell death by environmental toxicants. However, to date, the molecular mechanisms involved in neuronal cell death by PQ have not been completely identified. This article presents a comprehensive review of the published epidemiologic and toxicologic literature and critically evaluates whether a relationship exists between PQ exposure and PD.