Enantioseparation and enantioselective behavior of trichlorfon enantiomers in sediments

Trichlorfon (TF), an organophosphorus insecticide, has been widely used in seawater aquaculture; it is easily degraded to the highly toxic insecticide, dichlorvos (DDVP). In this study, the enantioseparation of TF enantiomers, as well as their degradation behavior and product (DDVP) formation in mariculture pond sediments, was investigated. The results show that both TF enantiomers degrade into DDVP, which is the main degradation product. Furthermore, S ‐(+)‐TF is preferentially degraded under natural conditions, suggesting that TF enantiomers degrade enantioselectively. Nevertheless, the degradation behavior of TF enantiomers is not enantiospecific under sterile conditions. The formation of DDVP and the enantiospecific degradation of TF enantiomers are attributed to the activities of microbes present in the sediments.     

急性重度敌敌畏中毒患者血清儿茶酚胺水平与其心脏损伤的关系

目的:探讨急性重度敌敌畏中毒患者血清儿茶酚胺水平与其心脏损伤的关系。方法:选取我院2009年12月至2011年12月收治的急性重度敌敌畏中毒患者40例,接受阿托品和氯解磷定等常规治疗,检测患者入院第1、3、5天血清肌酸激酶(CK-MB)、心肌肌钙蛋(CTNI)、胆碱酯酶(AchE)、乙酰胆碱(Ach)、肾上腺素(EPI)和去甲肾上腺素(NorP)等指标,分析患者血清儿茶酚胺水平与其心脏损伤的关系。结果:40例患者中,34例存活,6例死亡;窦性心动过速35例,心电图(ECG)ST-T改变36例;血清CK-MB、CTNI入院第1、3、5天相比,先升高后降低,出院时降至正常,变化差异有统计学意义(CK-MB:H=8.782,P=0.002;CTNI:H=5.017,P=0.024)。Ach入院第1天时最高,逐渐降低,出院时恢复到正常水平,变化差异有统计学意义(H=9.235,P=0.002;AchE入院第1天时最低,逐渐升高至正常,变化差异有统计学意义(H=46.891,P=0.001)。肾上腺素(EPI)和去甲肾上腺素(NorP)代表儿茶酚胺的变化,入院当天为峰值,其后均逐渐下降,出院恢复正常,变化差异有统计学意义(EPI:H=16.031,P=0.021;NorP:H=57.913,P=0.025)。进一步分析显示EPI和与NorP水平分别与CK-MB和CTNII呈显著正相关,差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:敌敌畏中毒时,儿茶酚胺与乙酰胆碱的释放增多,可能引起心肌损害或加重心肌缺血的严重程度。     

Mutagenicity of dichlorvos and methyl methanesulphonate for Escherichia coli WP2 and some derivatives deficient in DNA repair

The mutagenic and lethal action of methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) and dichlorvos (DDVP) has been studied on Escherichia coli WP2 and some derivatives deficient in DNA repair genes. The exrA⁺ and recA⁺ alleles were necessary for significant mutagenesis by either compound, and the uvrA gene affected neither the lethal nor mutagenic responses. Increased sensitivity to both compounds was shown by the exrA and uvrAexrA strains and in a more pronounced way by the uvrApolA, recA, and uvrAexrApolA strains.Bacteria deficient at the polA locus were 2 and 3 times more mutable by DDVP and MMS respectively, consistent with the hypothesis that the absence of the polA system for the repair of single-strand gaps results in a greater proportion of the total repair being channelled through the error-prone exrA⁺/recA⁺-dependent system. Single-strand breaks were detectable by alkaline sucrose gradient centrifugation after both MMS and DDVP treatment of polA bacteria. Thus in all the tests carried out, both compounds showed similar patterns of activity, and the results are consistent with their known ability to alkylate DNA. The chief differences were quantitative; sensitivity increases were far more pronounced with MMS which was also a far more potent mutagen than DDVP.     

Metrifonate and dichlorvos: Effects of a single oral administration on cholinesterase activity in rat brain and blood

Cholinesterase activities in rat forebrain, erythrocytes, and plasma were assessed after a single oral administration of metrifonate or dichlorvos. In 3-month-old rats, the dichlorvos (10 mg/kg p.o.)-induced inhibition of cholinesterase reached its peak in brain after 15–45 min and after 10–30 min in erythrocytes and plasma. Cholinesterase activity recovered rapidly after the peak of inhibition, but did not reach control values in brain and erythrocytes within 24 h after drug administration. The recovery of plasma cholinesterase activity, in contrast, was already complete 12 h after dichlorvos treatment. Metrifonate (100 mg/kg p.o.) had qualitatively similar inhibition kinetics as dichlorvos, albeit with a slightly delayed onset. Peak values were attained 45–60 min (brain) and 20–45 min (blood), after drug administration. Apparently complete recovery of cholinesterase activity was noted in both tissues 24 h after treatment. The dose-dependence of drug-induced inhibition of cholinesterase in rat blood and brain was determined at the time of maximal inhibition, i.e., 30 min after dichlorvos treatment and 45 min after metrifonate treatment. The oral ED₅₀ values obtained for dichlorvos were 8 mg/kg for brain and 6 mg/kg for both erythrocyte and plasma cholinesterase. The corresponding oral ED₅₀ values for metrifonate were 10 to 15 times higher, i.e., 90 mg/kg in brain and 80 mg/kg in erythrocytes and plasma. In rats deprived of food for 18 h before drug treatment, the corresponding ED₅₀ values for metrifonate were 60 and 45 mg/kg, respectively, indicating an about two-fold higher sensitivity of fasted rats to metrifonate-induced cholinesterase inhibition compared to non-fasted rats. Compared to 3-month-old rats, 19-month-old rats showed a higher sensitivity towards metrifonate and dichlorvos. At the time of maximal inhibition, there was a strong correlation between the degree of cholinesterase inhibition in brain and blood. These results demonstrate that single oral administration of metrifonate and dichlorvos induces an inhibition of blood and brain cholinesterase in the conscious rat in a dose-dependent and apparently fully reversible manner. While the efficiency of a given dose of inhibitor may vary with the satiety status or age of the animal, the extent of brain ChE inhibition can be estimated from the level of blood ChE activity.     

杀虫剂敌敌畏和除草剂丁草胺对饰纹姬蛙蝌蚪的急性毒性实验

采用静态换水法研究了杀虫剂敌敌畏、除草剂丁草胺对饰纹姬蛙(Microhyla ornata)蝌蚪的急性毒性影响。结果表明,杀虫剂敌敌畏对饰纹姬蛙蝌蚪的24-h、48-h的半致死浓度(LC50)分别为3．91μl／l和1．97μ/l;除草剂丁草胺对饰纹姬蛙蝌蚪的24-h LC50和48-h LC50分别为3．37μl／1和1．88μl／1,饰纹姬蛙蝌蚪对丁草胺的敏感性稍大于敌敌畏。     

Effect of three organophosphates on respiration in rat brain and liver tissue

The effects of three organophosphate pesticides, i.e. monocrotophos, dichlorvos, and phosphamidon on respiration in rat brain and liver tissue slices have been studied. Among these pesticides dichlorvos causes significant inhibition of respiration both in brain and liver.     

Effects of a selective Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 on oxidative stress parameters in acute dichlorvos poisoning in rats

This study examined the effects of Y-27632, a selective Rho-kinase inhibitor, on organophosphate-induced acute toxicity in rats. Rats were randomly divided into four groups as control (corn oil), dichlorvos (30 mg kg(-1) i.p.), 1 and 10 mg kg(-1) Y-27632 + dichlorvos groups. Cholinergic signs (fatigue, tremor, cyanosis, hyper-secretion, fasciculations) were observed in all the rats in the dichlorvos group and the mortality rate was 50%. No cholinergic findings and deaths were observed in the control and Y-27632 groups. Plasma cholinesterase activities were suppressed with dichlorvos and these reductions were attenuated with Y-27632 pretreatment. There was a marked increase in plasma malondialdehyde level in the dichlorvos group, but Y-27632 pretreatment abolished this elevation. Dichlorvos markedly depressed cardiac paraoxonase activity, but these changes were not markedly modified with Y-27632. Total antioxidant capacities, total oxidant status, oxidative stress index, total free sulfhydryl groups and catalase activities in plasma and cardiac tissues were not markedly different between the groups. No significant changes were observed with cardiac myeloperoxidase activities or plasma arylesterase and ceruloplasmin activities. In conclusion, our results suggest that Rho-kinase pathway is involved in organophosphate intoxication, and a decrease in cardiac paraoxonase activities may play a role in the pathogenesis of acute organophosphate poisoning in rats.     

敌敌畏对多疣狭口蛙不同发育期蝌蚪的急性毒性影响

为了解农药对不同发育期蝌蚪的毒性,以多疣狭口蛙Kaloula verrucosa蝌蚪为对象,采用水生生物急性毒性试验方法,研究杀虫剂敌敌畏(DDVP)对25期、26期、35期和42期蝌蚪的急性毒性影响.结果表明,在水温19.5～22.0℃条件下,敌敌畏对各期蝌蚪96 h LC50分别为1.13、1.43、1.38和0.61 mg/L,各期蝌蚪对敌敌畏的敏感顺序为42期>25期>35期>26期.由此得出敌敌畏对25期、26期和35期蝌蚪属中等毒性,对42期蝌蚪则表现为高毒.因此建议农药施用应尽量避开蝌蚪的变态期进行.蛙类胚胎期(出膜后)随着发育对外界环境的耐受性增强,蝌蚪期随着发育对外界环境的敏感性增强.鉴于42期蝌蚪意外死亡率高的特点,认为不宜采用变态期蝌蚪进行急性毒性试验.     

Calcium homeostasis and dichlorvos induced neurotoxicity in rat brain

The present study was designed to investigate the possible effects of chronic dichlorvos exposure on the various aspects of calcium homeostasis in rat brain. Chronic dichlorvos administration caused significant rise in the intrasynaptosomal calcium levels. The activity of major calcium expelling enzyme i.e. Ca²⁺ ATPase was found to be declined. Also, the depolarization induced calcium uptake via voltage operated calcium channels increased significantly. Concomitant to the increase in intrasynaptosomal calcium, calpain activity was found to be increased. The results presented herein, indicate that the toxic effects of dichlorvos could be mediated through modifications in the intracellular calcium homeostasis which may lead to impaired neuronal function.     

The effect of trichlorfon and other organophosphates on prenatal brain development in the guinea pig

The organophosphates trichlorfon, dichlorvos, dimethoate, soman, triortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), and the diethoxy-analogue of trichlorfon (O,O-diethyl 2,2,2-trichloro-1-hydroxyethylphosphonate, ethyl-trichlorfon), were administrated to guinea pigs between day 42 and 46 of gestation. When the offsprings were examined at birth, there was a severe reduction in brain weight in the case of trichlorfon and dichlorvos, but not after treatment with the other organophosphates. The reduction in weight was most pronounced for cerebellum, medulla oblongata, thalamus/hypothalamus and quadrigemina. The effect was less marked for cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Since soman, a potent anticholinesterase, and TOCP, an inhibitor of neuropathy target esterase, did not show any effects, this excludes that the brain hypoplasia can be caused by inhibition of these two enzymes. Further, the lack of effect with ethyl-trichlorfon has shed some light on the part of the trichlorfon molecule which could be involved in the formation of the hypoplasia. It is suggested that alkylation of DNA may be involved in the development of the lesion. The possible consequences for a teratogenic effect of trichlorfon and dichlorvos on humans are discussed.Special issue dedicated to Dr. Bernard W. Agranoff.