Exposure to environmental pollutants has been identified as one of the major causes of tumors in humans. Epidemiological data showed an increase of cancer incidence among farmers using pesticides. Different studies have shown that many of the compounds used in agriculture are able to interact with DNA, either directly or after metabolic activation, as well as other research evidenced that DNA structural alteration plays a primary role in neoplastic transformation, with implications of the poly(ADPribosyl)ation reaction.Increased intracellular levels of poly(ADPribose) and concomitant reduction of NAD+ content are typically found in cells undergoing genotoxic stress. Overactivation of PARP causes an extensive decrease of cellular NAD+ and ATP depletion, and induces cell necrosis.In our study, cellular NAD+ levels have been tested to define a new approach to evaluate the biological damage in a healthy population of farmers (in particular floriculturists) exposed routinely to the use of pesticides.Lymphocytes were prepared from peripheral blood of 100 subjects, either exposed or not exposed (controls) to pesticides and were used to monitor NAD+ levels according to classic procedures [1,2]. In parallel, aliquots of blood samples were subjected to conventional laboratory analyses to assess the health status at the time of recruitment. All the subjects answered also a questionnaire to collect individual and familiar anamnestic data.Here we present preliminary results obtained from this study, comparing the biochemical ones with epidemiological data. References: 1.Bernofsky C, Swan M: Anal Biochem, 1973; 53: 452 2.Jacobson EL, Jacobson MK: Meth Enzymol, 1997; 280: 221

Keywords: NAD+, Pesticides, farmer, Necrosis