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Neurotoxicological Examination of the Piglet Brain after Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Trichlorfon

Nevrotoksikologisk undersøkelse av hjerne hos spedgris etter prenatal og postnatal administrasjon av triklorfon

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 28, pages 313–320 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

Piglets were given 10 repeated doses of the orga-nophosphorus compound trichlorfon during the postnatal period in order to examine the effect on the brain development (Experiment 1). Following prenatal exposure to trichlorfon, the ability of a presumptive hypoplastic cerebellum and cerebrum at birth, to regenerate postnatally was investigated (Experiment 2).

Administration of repeated doses of trichlorfon postnatally was accompanied by only small changes in brain weights, morphology and transmitter enzyme activity (choline acetyltransferase, glutamate decarboxylase, aromatic amino acid decarboxylase) in 35 days old piglets. Animals exposed prenatally, and sacrificed at the age of 35 days, showed a significant increase in brain weights and enzyme activities. The animals did, however, not reach control values in cerebral weight, cerebellar weight or total enzyme activities. Morphological changes still showed regional loss of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. The study clearly indicated that the pig brain was less vulnerable to trichlorfon in the postnatal period of development than when exposed to the compound prenatally.

Sammendrag

Spedgriser ble gitt 10 gjentatte doser med organofosfatet triklorfon postnatalt for å undersøke effekten på hjernens utvikling (Eksperiment 1). Etter prenatal administrasjon av triklorfon ble regenerasjonsevnen til en presumptiv hypoplastisk cerebellum og cerebrum undersøkt postnatalt (Eksperiment 2).

Administrasjon av triklorfon postnatalt resulterte utelukkende i små forandringer i hjernevekter, morfologi og transmitter enzymaktiviteter (kolin acetyltransferase, glutamat dekarboksylase, aromatisk aminosyre dekarboksylase) hos 35 dager gamle grisunger. Dyr som ble eksponert prenatalt, men ikke postnatalt, viste en signifikant økning i hjernevektene og enzymaktivitetene 35 dager post partum. Kontrollverdiene av cerebrumvekter, cerebellumvekter og totale enzymaktiviteter ble imidlertid ikke oppnådd hos disse dyrene. Stedvis tap av Purkinjeceller i cerebellum ble fremdeles observert.

Undersøkelsen viste at hjernen hos gris er lite sårbar overfor triklorfon i den postnatale periode av utviklingen sammenlignet med prenatalt.

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Acknowledgment

The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to professor Per Brodai for useful help with the histological examination and to professor Inger Nafstad for professional assistance, valuable advice and comments.

This work was supported by grants from the Norwegian Agricultural Research Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 8146 Dep, N-0033, Oslo 1, Norway

    Gunnar N. Berge, Frode Fonnum, Nils E. Søli & Erling Segnen

  2. Division for Toxicology, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Kjeller, Norway

    Gunnar N. Berge, Frode Fonnum, Nils E. Søli & Erling Segnen

Authors
  1. Gunnar N. Berge
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  2. Frode Fonnum
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  3. Nils E. Søli
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  4. Erling Segnen
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Berge, G.N., Fonnum, F., Søli, N.E. et al. Neurotoxicological Examination of the Piglet Brain after Prenatal and Postnatal Exposure to Trichlorfon. Acta Vet Scand 28, 313–320 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548599

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548599

Keywords

  • organophosphorus compound
  • CNS toxicity
  • regeneration

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147