Effects of acute insecticide exposure on neuronal activity in vitro in rat cortical cultures

Neurotoxicology. 2024 Apr 8:S0161-813X(24)00035-4. doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.04.004. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTExposure to pesticides, such as carbamates, organophosphates, organochlorines and pyrethroids, has been linked to various health problems, including neurotoxicity. Although most in vivo studies use only male rodents, some studies have shown in vivo sex-specific effects after acute exposure. Since in vivo studies are costly and require a large number of animals, in vitro assays that take sex-specific effects into account are urgently needed. We therefore assessed the acute effects of exposure to different carbamates (methomyl, aldicarb and carbaryl), organophosphates (chlorpyrifos (CPF), chlorpyrifos-oxon (CPO) and 3,5,6-trichloropyridinol), organochlorines (endosulfan, dieldrin and lindane) and pyrethroids (permethrin, alpha-cypermethrin and 3-phenoxy-benzoic acid (3-PBA)) on neuronal network function in sex-separated rat primary cortical cultures using micro-electrode array (MEA) recordings. Our results indicate that exposure to the carbamate carbaryl and the organophosphates CPF and CPO decreased neuronal activity, with CPO being the most potent. Notably, (network) burst patterns differed between CPF and CPO, with CPO inducing fewer, but more intense (network) bursts. Exposure to low micromolar levels of endosulfan induced a hyperexcitation, most likely due to the antagonistic effects on GABA receptors. Interestingly, females were more sensitive to endosulfan t...

Source: Neurotoxicology - April 10, 2024 Category: Neurology Authors: Lennart V J van Melis Anneloes M Peerdeman Eva H W Huiberts Regina G D M van Kleef Aart de Groot Remco H S Westerink Source Type: research