Acute Effects of Insecticides and their Combinations on the Central Nervous Activity in Rats
Zsuzsanna Lengyel, Zita Fazakas, Anita Lukács, and Andrea Szabó
Department of Public Health, University of Szeged Faculty of Medicine, Szeged, Hungary
Corresponding author: Zsuzsanna Lengyel
Department of Public Health
University of Szeged Faculty of Medicine
Dóm tér 10
H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
Telephone: +36-62-545-119
Fax number: +36-62-545-120
E-mail: lengyelzs@puhe.szote.u-szeged.hu
CEJOEM 2005, Vol.11. No.4.: 309–317
Key words:
Insecticide, cortical activity, evoked potential, rat
Abstract:
Most of the modern insecticides are neurotoxic substances. The use of various pesticides potentially
results in combined exposure. In this study, an organophosphate (dimethoate), a carbamate (propoxur), a
pyrethroid (cypemethrine) and a formamidine-type insecticide (amitraz) was given to young adult male Wistar
rats in acute oral application, in 1/5 LD50 dose alone or in triple and quadruple combinations.
After 24 hours, spontaneous and stimulus-evoked cortical activity was recorded. All treatments caused a shift
of the spectrum of the spontaneous cortical activity, but it was variable by cortical area and by agent.
The effect of the combinations indicated non-additive interactions. In the cortical evoked responses,
dimethoate and its combinations induced the strongest change in the latency, while amitraz and its
combinations, in the duration of the response. The results, first of all those obtained with combined
treatment, emphasize the need for further investigation of effects even in case of well-known insecticide agents.
Received: 5 December 2005
Accepted: 21 April 2006
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