2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase
Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-24-2026
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Sydney Boutros
Abstract
The use of agricultural pesticides and herbicides in the United States has increased steadily since the 1960s. Glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide globally, is the active ingredient in glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) such as Roundup®. Emerging evidence suggests that GBHs may adversely affect human health by crossing the blood-brain barrier, increasing oxidative stress and genotoxicity, and disrupting reproductive processes. Chronic exposure to environmental toxicants, including pesticides, has also been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). Notably, higher PD mortality rates have been reported in regions with elevated GBH exposure. Early PD pathology is characterized by the accumulation of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (a-Syn) in the gut, olfactory system, and brainstem, supporting the hypothesis that PD may originate in the gut and spread to the brain. The gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a key modulator of this process, as environmental exposures can disrupt microbial composition and promote neuroinflammation. In this study, PD-like pathology was induced in C57BL/6J (wildtype) mice via striatal injection of a-Syn preformed fibrils. Mice were chronically exposed to low-dose Roundup (0.075% w/v) in drinking water. Behavioral assessments were conducted over six months, followed by brain and gut tissue analysis. We are presenting preliminary findings suggesting that GBH exposure alters the gut microbiome and may exacerbate PD-like pathology.
Recommended Citation
Parisot, Paden; Boutros, Sydney; Naymik, Ty; Wilson, Sabrina; Higgins, Allie; Hettel, Katie; Walker, Trevor; and Carver, Kaitlyn, "Seeding Disease from the Gut: Glyphosate, Microbiome Disruption, and Parkinson’s Pathology" (2026). 2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase. 157.
https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/under_showcase_2026/157
Comments
We received support from the Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Grants #P20GM103408 (subaward S17662-825795), P20GM109095, P30GM154497, and P20GM148321; from The Biomolecular Research Core Facility at Boise State, RRID:SCR_019174, with funding from the National Science Foundation, Grants #0619793, 0923535, and 2320410; the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust; Lori and Duane Stueckle, and the Idaho State Board of Education; and support from the Biomedical Research Vivarium. 16sRNA Sequencing was possible thanks to an INBRE Technology Access Award and the BSU Sequencing Core.