Impact of Pesticide Use on Gut Microbiota and Health: A Systematic Review of Findings in Humans and Animal Models

Background/objective: The intensive use of pesticides in modern agriculture has raised growing concerns about their potential adverse effects on human health. Exposure to these compounds has been linked to a variety of negative outcomes. This study aims to evaluate and synthesize the available scientific evidence on the impact of pesticide exposure in agricultural production on human health. It will integrate results from experimental and observational studies conducted on ani-mals and humans. Results: Findings show that exposure, particularly during the prenatal period, is associated with multisystemic alterations affecting fetal de-velopment, metabolism, the immune system, the nervous system, and the gut mi-crobiome. Evidence from animal model studies complements human data, providing insight into the underlying biological mechanisms, such as oxidative stress, liver dysfunction, alterations in hormonal signaling and activation of the inflammatory response. Conclusions: Public health strategies must be imple-mented to reduce pesticide exposure, strengthen environmental and mater-nal-child surveillance, and promote research into the modulation of the gut micro-biome and systemic inflammation. This will help to prevent and mitigate the met-abolic, immunological, and neurodevelopmental effects associated with these compounds.