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Research
Article
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Effect of pyrethroid-based liquid mosquito repellent inhalation
on the blood-brain barrier function and oxidative damage in selected organs
of developing rats
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Alka Gupta 1, Darshika
Nigam 1, Amita
Gupta 1, G. S. Shukla 2,
A. K. Agarwal 1 *
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1Predictive Toxicology Research Group, Industrial
Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow-226001, India
2Department of Biochemistry, C-440 Given Medical
Building, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405,
USA
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*Correspondence
to A. K. Agarwal, Industrial Toxicology Research
Centre, P.O. Box-80, M. G. Marg, Lucknow-226001
(U.P.), India. ITRC Communication no. 1994
Funded by:
 CSIR
(Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)
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pyrethroid; mosquito repellent; BBB; oxdative
damage; organs; development
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Pesticides have been
implicated in various neurological disorders in humans and experimental
animals. Our earlier studies have demonstrated a high vulnerability of
developing blood-brain barrier (BBB) towards very low level exposure of quinalphos, cypermethrin and lindane. Earlier it has been observed that a cypermethrin-induced increase in the BBB permeability
of neonatal rats was found to be persistent, requiring a longer period of
withdrawal for complete recovery. These observations lead us to investigate
the effect of a commonly available liquid mosquito repellent (MR)
containing a pyrethroid compound, allethrin (3.6% w/v), on the functional integrity of
the developing BBB and on certain parameters of oxidative damage in brain,
liver and kidney. Two-day-old rat pups were allowed to inhale the MR (18 h
per day) for 8 days (postnatal days (PND) 2-9). Rats exposed to MR were
further withdrawn from the exposure for 8 days (PND 10-17) to study whether
the changes induced following inhalation are reversible. Results of the
study have shown a significant increase in the BBB permeability (45%) of
the MR-exposed rat pups to a micromolecular
tracer, sodium fluorescein (mol. wt. 376), used
for the quantitative assessment of the BBB permeability, suggesting a
delayed maturity of the BBB system. Brain glutathione (GSH) levels were
also decreased (17%) in the exposed individuals. The oxidatively
damaged end-products of lipids, measured as lipid hydroperoxides
and conjugated dienes, were found to be increased
in brain (42%, 16%), liver (34%, 20%) and kidney (68%, 29%), respectively.
The oxidative product of protein, measured as protein carbonyls, was also
increased significantly in liver (43%) and kidney (16%) of the MR-exposed
rat pups as compared to age-matched controls. The biochemical changes that
occurred in the BBB permeability and the oxidatively
damaged end-products following MR inhalation in neonatal rats were,
however, found to be completely recovered except for an increase in brain
GSH (28%) level. The results suggest the possibility of health risk due to
exposure to pesticide-based mosquito repellents, especially when exposure
takes place in individuals at an early age. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley
& Sons, Ltd.
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Received: 7
April 1998; Revised: 25 August 1998; Accepted: 18 September 1998
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