Acute toxicity of organophosphorus and organochlorine insecticides in laboratory animals

Abstract

The influence of acute poisoning with Dursban (O.P.I.) and D.D.T. (O.cl.I.) on serum enzymes and histopathological examination of the liver, kidney and testes was investigated in albino rats. Two repeated i.p. injections of Dursban in a dose of half the LD 50 resulted in a significant increase in serum GOT, GPT and alkaline phosphatase activity and a decrease of cholinesterase. In case of DDT, two doses of 150 mg/kg orally resulted in a significant increase in the activity of serum GPT only, while three doses increased serum GOT and GPT. No significant change was observed in serum alkaline phosphatase and cholinesterase activity. Regarding the pathological examination it was found that in animals treated with Dursban there was liver necrosis of mid-zonal type and fatty change at the periphery. In case of DDT the liver cells lost their radial arrangements and showed fatty change. There was cellular infiltration in the centre, mostly mononucleolar cells. In both insecticides there was necrosis of some of the seminiferous tubules of the testes and cloudy swelling of the convoluted tubules of the kidney. Histochemical study of the liver in animals treated with Dursban showed that glycogen was deposited at one side of the cell. However, there was depletion of glycogen around the central vein. In liver treated with DDT there were large globules of fat inside the liver cells, indicating increased fat content compared to control liver, where there were tiny minute droplets of fat.