MOLECULE

Carbofuran

Carbofuran, also known as furadan belongs to the class of organic compounds known as coumarans. Coumarans are compounds containing the coumaran skeleton, which consists of a benzene ring fused to a 2,3-dihydrofuran ring. Carbofuran is a potentially toxic compound and is, in fact, one of the most toxic carbamate pesticides. It is manufactured by the reaction of methyl isocyanate with 2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-7-hydroxybenzofuran. In one study, the exposure of rats to sublethal amounts of carbofuran decreased testosterone by 88%, while the levels of progesterone, cortisol, and estradiol were significantly increased (1279%, 202%, and 150%, respectively) (PMID: 20021136). The use of carbofuran on human consumable crops is currently banned in the U.S.A, Canada and the European Union. Carbofuran is a structural mimic of the neurohormone melatonin and could directly bind to MT2 melatonin receptor (Ki = 1.7 uM) (PMID: 28027439). Disruption of melatonin signaling could impact the circadian rhythm balance and is linked to elevated risk of developing diabetes. Carbofuran has also been detected in the volatile fraction of Cannabis sativa samples obtained from police seizures (PMID: 26657499).