25
Mar
Research Finds Triazole Fungicides Induce Cardiotoxicity, Threatening Cardiovascular Health
(Beyond Pesticides, March 25, 2025) An editorial in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy finds that triazole fungicides pose a significant risk of cardiotoxicity with “growing concerns regarding their safety for human health, especially in long-term exposure,” the authors share. After analyzing the known mechanisms of cardiotoxicity of triazole pesticides in mammals, they conclude that “the most effective approach to mitigating triazole-induced cardiotoxicity lies in prevention.”
Triazoles, a class of fungicides, target fungi by inhibiting the biosynthesis of ergosterol, an essential component of their cell membranes. As the researchers share, “Compounds such as tebuconazole, propiconazole, and difenoconazole are among the most used triazoles in agriculture.” Triazoles are utilized as antifungal medications, despite the rise of resistant infections, in addition to their use as systemic pesticides on many fruit and vegetable crops, including grapes, wheat, corn, and soybeans.
As Beyond Pesticides’ previous coverage indicates, many triazole fungicides in the U.S. are registered for use despite evidence of endocrine disruption established over a decade ago in a U.S. Geological Survey report. These pesticides exhibit common mechanisms of toxicity often disregarded in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk assessments, with a multitude of studies showcasing the myriads of health threats that the agency does not consider in its chemical registration processes. (See more on EPA failures and regulatory deficiencies here.)
Within the editorial, the authors examine the scientific literature linking triazole exposure to cardiotoxicity, including heart damage and cardiovascular system impacts, tying together the mechanisms of toxicity between chemicals within this class of pesticides. They report:
- The toxicity of triazoles, while classically defined due to their ability to impact ergosterol biosynthesis, “arises from the ability of the fungicide to bind to distinct proteins of off-target organisms, including humans.”
- “Triazole pesticides can induce cardiotoxicity through various mechanisms: oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and electrophysiological alterations in the heart.” (See studies here, here, here, here, and here.)
- “[I]n vivo exposure of rats to tebuconazole induces cardiac toxicity through oxidative stress.” (See studies here and here.)
- Exposure to triazoles, confirmed with urine analyses in humans, is associated with oxidative stress.
- A study, using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 2004 to 2022, finds 53,864 adverse effects attributed to triazole antifungal agents, 6,174 of which were cardiac adverse effects.
- “Exposure to triazoles can compromise mitochondrial function. In vivo studies in rats have demonstrated that tebuconazole modulates the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis [cell death].” (See studies here, here, and here.)
- “[I]n vitro and in vivo exposure to triazoles can trigger inflammatory responses in cardiac tissue, resulting in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Chronic inflammation can cause adverse cardiac remodeling, fibrosis, and heart failure.” (See studies here and here.)
- In triazoles changing mitochondrial function, it can result in “decreased ATP production, release of pro-apoptotic factors, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and intracellular calcium dysregulation.” These impacts, especially involving ROS production in cardiac cells, can lead “to oxidative stress, which can damage proteins, lipids, and DNA, resulting in cellular dysfunction and programmed cell death (apoptosis), as observed in rats orally in vivo treated with triazole (tebuconazole).” (See studies here, here, here, and here.)
- Triazoles “can directly interfere with ion channels in mammal cardiac cells, altering the action potential and electrical conduction in the heart, leading to arrhythmias, which are potentially fatal disturbances in heart rhythm, as shown in studies conducted in vitro and ex vivo.” (See studies here, here, and here.)
- Tebuconazole exposure in rats results in increased heart weight, which indicates cardiac hypertrophy that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood.
Aside from cardiotoxicity, scientific literature links triazole pesticides to numerous health threats. Previous coverage of a study in Environmental Pollution highlights four triazoles pesticides, detected in blood, that can cross the blood-brain barrier and infiltrate cerebrospinal fluid due to their ability to affect a steroid synthesis pathway. Research finds ipconazole, in a recent Toxics study, to cause spermiotoxicity through significantly reduced sperm viability, as well as alterations in enzyme and gene expression related to fertility. (See Beyond Pesticides’ coverage here.)
The solution to adverse health impacts from pesticide exposure, as the Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy article authors state, is prevention. By transitioning away from the use of petrochemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in land management, the threats to health and the environment are mitigated. Adopting organic practices, and relying on an organic diet, provides numerous health benefits and has a significantly lower environmental impact than conventional food production, as Beyond Pesticides has reported.
Research finds that organic diets can also promote heart health. A study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology states that organic food consumption lowers the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. These findings reinforce scientific understanding that negative effects on the heart from pesticide exposure are preventable and eliminating toxic chemicals within food can play an important role in reducing a major public health threat.
Organic agriculture lowers cardiovascular disease risks, as well as brain and nervous system disorders, cancer, endocrine disruption, and many more. Be part of the organic solution by buying organic products, growing your own organic food, and advocating for the advancement of organic, sustainable, and regenerative practices and policies.
All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
Source:
Souza, D. and Roman-Campos, D. (2025) Cardiotoxicity and triazole pesticides: therapeutic options for a neglected heart disease, Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14779072.2025.2476124.
