Carey N. Pope

Age-related differences in sensitivity to organophosphorus pesticides.

Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are used extensively throughout the world to control undesirable pest species. The primary mechanism of action for OP insecticides is inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme dynamically involved in cholinergic neurotransmission. Extensive inhibition of AChE leads to accumulation of acetylcholine in the synapse, disruption of normal impulse flow and subsequent signs of toxicity, including autonomic dysfunction, involuntary movements, muscle fasciculations and a host of others. It is generally believed that young individuals are more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of these agents relative to adults. Essentially all studies addressing age-related differences in sensitivity to these toxicants have examined responses to acute exposures, however, using acute toxicity (lethality) as the endpoint. As the biochemical mechanism of toxicity for this class of toxicants (inhibition of AChE) is well known and considering that low level, repeated exposures are of great concern to the general public, we propose that evidence of neurochemical alterations, especially when exposures occur during development and maturation, is a more relevant endpoint of toxicity than lethality for estimating susceptibility. This report briefly summarizes previous and ongoing work in our laboratory which examines the relative sensitivity to these toxicants between young and adult rats.

Effects of Chlorpyrifos on High-Affinity Choline Uptake and [3H]Hemicholinium-3 Binding in Rat Brain

High, subcutaneous doses of the organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) in adult male rats can be well-tolerated despite extensive and persistent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. We propose that changes in acetylcholine synthesis could modulate the toxicity associated with extensive AChE inhibition following CPF exposure. High-affinity choline uptake (HACU, the rate-limiting step in acetlcholine synthesis) and binding to [3H]-hemicholinium-3 (HC-3, a specific ligand for the choline transporter) were chosen as indicators of acetylcholine synthesis. Female, Sprague-Dawley rats (220-280 g) were treated with either vehicle (peanut oil, 2 ml/kg, sc) or CPF (280 mg/kg, 2 ml/kg, sc), examined daily for clinical signs of toxicity, and sacrificed 1, 2, or 7 days later for neurochemical measurements (AChE inhibition, muscarinic receptor binding using [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) and [3H]cis-methyldioxolane (CD) as ligands, HACU and [3H]HC-3 binding) in frontal cortex. Despite extensive AChE inhibition (90-93%) at all time points, relatively minor degrees of overt toxicity were noted in CPF-treated rats. Binding to the non-selective muscarinic antagonist [3H]QNB was reduced (10-34%), whereas binding to the putative m2-selective agonist [3H]CD was increased (15-23%) at all three time points. HACU was reduced (20%) in crude synaptosomes prepared from CPF-treated rats 1 day following exposure but no significant changes were noted at 2 or 7 days after treatment. CPF-oxon, the active oxidative metabolite of CPF, was a weak inhibitor of HACU in vitro (IC50 > 200 microM). Binding to [3H]HC-3 was reduced in a dose-related manner 1 day after CPF exposure. Kinetic analyses of [3H]HC-3 binding 1 day after CPF (280 mg/kg) indicated a significant reduction in density (Bmax: control, 187 +/- 18 fmol/mg protein; CPF, 104 +/- 12 fmol/mg protein) with no apparent change in binding affinity (Kd: control, 25 +/- 3 nM; CPF, 19 +/- 3 nM). These results suggest that a reduction in HACU/acetylcholine synthesis may contribute, along with compensatory changes in cholinergic receptors, to the diminished toxicity following extensive AChE inhibition by CPF.

The role of neurotoxic esterase (NTE) in the prevention and potentiation of organophosphorus-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN)

The first step in the initiation of organophosphorus-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN) is proposed to be the phosphorylation of an enzyme found in the nervous system called neurotoxic esterase (neuropathy target esterase, NTE). It has been known for over twenty years that non-neuropathic inhibitors of NTE exist and can actually prevent OPIDN when given before a neuropathic organophosphate (OP). Within the last three years it has become evident that another outcome is possible following in vivo interaction between neuropathic and nonneuropathic NTE inhibitors. When administered after OP exposure, nonneuropathic inhibitors can intensify or potentiate signs of OPIDN in adult chickens. Additionally, whereas developing chickens are typically resistant to the effects of neuropathic OPs, resistant age groups will develop OPIDN when exposure to a neuropathic OP is followed by the non-neuropathic NTE inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. As in the case of prevention, studies of the potentiation of OPIDN may yield insight into mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of delayed neurotoxicity. A brief review of current knowledge regarding the role of NTE in both the prevention and potentiation of OPIDN is presented.

Age-related effects of chlorpyrifos on acetylcholine release in rat brain.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphorus insecticide that elicits toxicity through inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Young animals are markedly more sensitive than adults to the acute toxicity of CPF. We evaluated acetylcholine (ACh) release and its muscarinic receptor-mediated regulation (i.e. muscarinic autoreceptor function, MAF) during maturation as a possible contributing factor to age-related differences in sensitivity. Cortical and striatal slices were prelabeled with [3H]choline chloride, superfused in the presence or absence of the anticholinesterase physostigmine (PHY, 20 microM) and stimulated twice (S1 and S2) with a high concentration of potassium chloride (20 mM). Depolarization-stimulated ACh release (DSAR) was lowest in neonatal, intermediate in juvenile and markedly higher in adult tissues. MAF was not detectable in tissues from neonatal rats but was present in juvenile and adult tissues. ACh release and MAF were studied at 4, 24 and 96 h following oral exposure to CPF (0, 0.5 or 1 x LD10). In general, 40-60% and 80-90% maximal AChE inhibition followed exposure to the respective 0.5 and 1 x LD10 dosages. DSAR was decreased in neonatal cortex 1 day after LD10 exposure but increased in juvenile striatum 1 day after LD10 treatment. In adults, DSAR was reduced at 4 and 24 h after exposure, but increased 96 h after CPF exposure. In juveniles, MAF was reduced in both brain regions at 24 h after 0.5LD10 exposure and at 24 and 96 h after LD10 exposure in cortex. A later reduction in MAF was noted in adult tissues (i.e. only at 96 h after LD10 treatment). Together, the results suggest that ACh release dynamics in brain vary markedly during postnatal maturation and that acute CPF exposure can alter ACh release in an age-related manner. The functional status of presynaptic processes regulating neurotransmitter release may contribute to age-related neurotoxicity elicited by high-dose exposures to chlorpyrifos.

Paraoxon toxicity is not potentiated by prior reduction in blood acetylcholinesterase

The role of blood acetylcholinesterase in moderating the effects of organophosphate challenge in rats was tested. Adult male rats (n = 42) were injected (iv) either with monoclonal antibodies (MAb) to rat acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7; AChE) or normal mouse IgG (controls). Two days later, the rats were injected (sc) with either a mild (0.17 mg/kg) or moderate dosage (0.34 mg/kg) of paraoxon or with vehicle. Neurological integrity was assessed by a functional observational battery followed by motor activity, 3 to 4 hr after dosing. Blood, brain, and diaphragm tissues were then collected for determination of AChE activity. MAb treatment reduced whole blood and plasma AChE activity by 32 and 90%, respectively, but did not affect neurobehavioral parameters or the AChE activity of brain or diaphragm. The paraoxon challenge produced dose-related neurobehavioral changes and inhibition of brain and diaphragm AChE activity to the same extent in IgG- and MAb-treated rats. Thus, significant loss in blood AChE alone produced no detectable neurobehavioral deficits and did not alter the subsequent responses to paraoxon challenge.

Glucose feeding exacerbates parathion-induced neurotoxicity

Excessive dietary intake of sugars could alter various biotransformation processes and the pharmacological and toxicological properties of numerous xenobiotics. In the present study, the effects of glucose supplementation were examined on the neurotoxicity of the organophosphorus (OP) pesticide parathion (PS) and its active metabolite, paraoxon (PO), a potent inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Rats (n = 6-12/treatment group) were given free access to tap water or 15% glucose (w/v) in tap water beginning 7 d prior to OP toxicant exposure. Food, caloric intake, and body weight were measured daily. Animals were challenged with either PS (4.5, 9, or 18 mg/kg, sc) or PO (0.3, 0.5, or 0.7 mg/kg, sc) and clinical signs of neurotoxicity (i.e., autonomic dysfunction, involuntary movements) were recorded daily for the following 13 d. Glucose feeding was associated with a dramatic drop (~50%) in feed intake and an increase (~20%) in total caloric consumption over the 7 d prior to OP exposure. Functional toxicity associated with PS exposure was increased in glucose-fed (GF) rats, but the glucose diet had no apparent effect on clinical signs of toxicity following PO treatment. Glucose feeding increased the magnitude of AChE inhibition in the frontal cortex and plasma at lower dosages (i.e., 4.5 and 9 mg/kg) 3 d following PS treatment. Time-course studies (3, 7, and 11 d after PS exposure, 18 mg/kg, sc) indicated significantly greater brain and plasma AChE inhibition in glucosefed animals at later time points. In contrast, glucose feeding had no effect on the degree of AChE inhibition following PO exposure. Neither liver microsomal oxidative desulfuration of PS, nor liver or plasma paraoxonase, nor liver or plasma carboxylesterase activities were measurably affected by glucose feeding. Downregulation of muscarinic receptors 7 d after PS exposure (18 mg/kg, sc) was more extensive in GF rats. It is postulated that excessive glucose consumption decreases the intake of other dietary components, in particular amino acids, limiting the de novo synthesis of AChE and consequent recovery of synaptic transmission. Due to the shorter duration of inhibition following PO exposure, spontaneous reactivation of AChE may be more important than de novo protein synthesis in recovery of function, and thus with the effects of glucose feeding on its toxicity. Individuals that derive a large proportion of their calories from sugars may be at higher risk of acute toxicity from organophosphorus pesticides such as PS.

Retrograde Axonal Transport of Locally Synthesized Phosphoinositides in the Rat Sciatic Nerve

Although autoradiography has demonstrated local incorporation of [3H]inositol into axonal phospholipids after intraneural injection, retrograde axonal transport of phosphatidylinositol has only been demonstrated after injection of lipid precursor into the cell body regions (L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglia) of the sciatic nerve. We now report the retrograde axonal transport of inositol phospholipids synthesized locally in the axons. Following microinjection of myo‐[3H]inositol into the rat sciatic nerve (50–55 mm distal to L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglia), a time‐dependent accumulation of 3H label occurred in the dorsal root ganglia ipsilateral to the injection site. The ratio of dpm present in the ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia to that in the contralateral dorsal root ganglia was not significantly different from unity between 2 and 8 h following isotope injection but increased to 10–12‐fold between 24 and 72 h following precursor injection. By 24 h following precursor injection, the ipsilateral/contralateral ratio of the water‐soluble label in the dorsal root ganglia still remained ∼ 1.0, whereas the corresponding ratio in the chloroform/methanol‐soluble fraction was ∼20. The time course of appearance of labeled lipids in the ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia after injection of precursor into the nerve at various distances from the dorsal root ganglia indicated a transport rate of at least 5 mm/h. Accumulation of label in the dorsal root ganglia could be prevented by intraneural injection of colchicine or ligation of the sciatic nerve between the dorsal root ganglia and the isotope injec tion site. These results demonstrate that inositol phospholipids synthesized locally in the sciatic nerve are retrogradely transported back to the nerve cell bodies located in the dorsal root ganglia.

Interactive effects of pesticide mixtures on the neurobehavioral responses and AChE levels of planaria

The exposure of non-target aquatic organisms to sublethal levels of combinations of environmental pollutants may result in synergistic, antagonistic or additive effects. Short-term exposures of planaria to sublethal concentrations of malathion, carbaryl and 2,4-D alone, and in combination, resulted in alterations in both neurobehavior and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels. Both interactive and individual effects of the pesticides were concentration dependent. Pesticide mixtures produced varied interactive effects. At very low levels, all pesticide mixtures produced significant (p < 0.01) synergistic responses in the neurobehavior of planaria and resulted in a greater number of responses than predicted additive values. Responses obtained from exposure to low levels of the pesticide mixtures showed a less than additive increase. Malathion and carbaryl exposure resulted in 5-45% decreases in AChE activity. AChE levels increased 6-34% after 2,4-D exposure. Evaluation of planarian neurobehavior responses provided a simple, sensitive method for biomonitoring the interactive sublethal toxicity associated with pesticide mixtures.