In vitro effects of fipronil on neuronal excitability in mammalian and molluscan nervous systems.
Journal Title: Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine - Year 2009, Vol 16, Issue 1
Abstract
The effect of the insecticide fipronil on non-target organisms was studied on rat brain slices and identified giant neurons of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. This compound acts as an antagonist on GABA(A) receptors. Although fipronil has moderate mammalian toxicity, our experiments confirmed that it modifies neuronal excitability in the rat somatosensory cortex. The amplitudes of evoked field potentials increased significantly after 30 min fipronil treatment. Short-term plasticity was examined with paired-pulse stimulation, this phenomenon was not affected by fipronil. On the other hand, the efficacy of LTP-induction was enhanced in the treated slices. Fipronil is highly toxic to freshwater invertebrates, especially molluscs. In Lymnaea stagnalis, the firing pattern of a GABA receptor- containing neuron (RPeD1) was studied. On this neuron, GABA has an excitatory, hypopolarizing effect. Fipronil treatment decreased the action potential frequency in a concentration-dependent manner. On the membrane potential of the cell, it had a slightly hyperpolarizing effect. These experiments confirmed that fipronil toxicity is mediated by GABA receptors in the nervous system of invertebrates as well as vertebrates. These types of experiments may help in establishing tolerance levels of pesticide residues and in finding proper treatment in case of eventual poisonings.
Authors and Affiliations
Petra Varró, János Gyori, Ildikó Világi
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP58628
- DOI -
- Views 179
- Downloads 0
Diabetes and depression: a combination of civilization and life-style diseases is more than simple problem adding – literature review
The article presents a review of current medical and psychological literature published between 2000 - 2010, with the use of the PubMed database, concerning the occurrence of anxiety and depression in diabetic patients,...
Evaluation of prognostic parameters of E-cadherin status in breast cancer treatment
Introduction and objective. Breast cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies in women. Axillary lymph node involvement, tumour size, receptor status, and level of malignancy are the most significant prognostic fact...
Disparities in exposure to tobacco smoke pollution at Romanian worksites
[b]Introduction[/b]. Differences in the risk of being exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in the workplace may occur not only between countries, but also within a country among socio-economic groups. [b]Objectives. [/b]...
Homocysteine, antioxidant vitamins and lipids as biomarkers of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease versus non-Alzheimer’s dementia
[b]Introduction and objective.[/b] Evidence for the benefit of antioxidants’ based therapeutic intervention in dementia are inconsistent. Parallel studies in disease forms of dementia different than Alzheimer’s are even...
Telemedical systems for home monitoring of patients with chronic conditions in rural environment
This paper describes the requirements and possible implementations of a telemedical system. The idea of remote patient monitoring is a point of interest for researchers in Poland, and is also in high demand in fields suc...