Atropine counteracts the depressive-like behaviour elicited by acute exposure to commercial chlorpyrifos in rats

Publication date: Available online 17 November 2018Source: Neurotoxicology and TeratologyAuthor(s): A.A. Siqueira, A.F. Cunha, G.M.L. Marques, I.S.A. Felippe, V.S. Minassa, T.C.S. Gramelich, M.A. Cicilini, T.A. Alarcon, R.G.W. Pires, K.N. Sampaio, V. BeijaminiAbstractAcute organophosphate (OP) poisoning induces well-known signs of toxicosis related to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. However, the relationship between acute OP poisoning and the onset of psychiatric disorders remains unclear. Thus, we investigated behavioural and biochemical consequences of acute exposure to the OP chlorpyrifos in male rats and also the effectiveness of the antidotes atropine and pralidoxime on reversing these changes. A sub-lethal dose of commercial chlorpyrifos (20 mg/kg, i.p.) elicited signs of acute toxicosis during the first hours after its injection in rats. Twenty-four hours after treatment, this single dose of chlorpyrifos induced a depressive-like behaviour in the rat forced swimming test without impairing locomotor activity. At this time (24 h), chlorpyrifos decreased plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity and hippocampal, striatal and prefrontal cortical AChE activity in rats. The behavioural and biochemical consequences of acute chlorpyrifos poisoning do not seem to be long lasting, since 30 days later they were absent. We evaluated whether these behavioural and biochemical consequences of acute chlorpyrifos treatment would be reversed by the antidotes atropine (1...
Source: Neurotoxicology and Teratology - Category: Toxicology Source Type: research