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PubMed2002

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methyl parathion.

Methyl parathion and other organophosphorus insecticides are widely used in agriculture. Poisonings to this class of compounds are common and exerted primarily through inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. Methyl parathion became a major health concern when it was illegally sprayed in private homes. Since there are limited data with which to predict the long-term effects resulting from a pattern of exposure to methyl parathion that may have occurred in domestic settings, studies were performed to compare its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics after intravenous, oral or dermal exposure. Methyl parathion was given to adult female rats as a single dose intravenously (2.5 mg/kg) through a femoral catheter, orally (2.5 mg/kg) by gavage, or dermally (< or = 50 mg/kg) by application to shaved skin at the nape of the neck. Blood (200 microl) was collected at increasing times from a separate catheter or from the retro-orbital sinus. Cholinesterase activity was measured in blood and normalized to hemoglobin content, whereas activities in brain and peripheral tissues were normalized to protein. Blood methyl parathion was quantitated by gas chromatography-electron capture. The pharmacokinetics of methyl parathion after intravenous exposure best fit a model in which it was distributed between two compartments and rapidly eliminated. Maximal concentrations of methyl parathion ranged from 200 to 350 ng/ml. The half-life of methyl parathion was 51 minutes, its volume of distribution was 10.1 L/kg, and clearance was 108 ml/min/kg. The kinetics of methyl parathion after single oral exposure contrasted with those after intravenous exposure. Despite a high absorption coefficient, oral bioavailability of methyl parathion was less than 5%, and concentrations in blood were 2% or less of those after intravenous exposure. After single dermal exposure (25 or 50 mg/kg), blood methyl parathion levels increased during the first 6 h and then remained constant for the next 42 h at about 150 ng/ml. Despite differences in its pharmacokinetics, methyl parathion caused similar time-dependent changes in blood and brain cholinesterase activities after intravenous or oral administration. Maximal inhibition of blood cholinesterase occurred within 15-60 min, and activities recovered within 30 - 48 h. In contrast, inhibition of blood cholinesterase caused by single dermal exposure (> or = 25 mg/kg) to methyl parathion developed gradually over 24 h, but was sustained. Cholinesterase inhibited by a lower dose (< or = 12 mg/kg) of methyl parathion required up to 21 days to recover fully. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methyl parathion are complex, and the complexity varies with the route of exposure. A significant 'first pass' effect for methyl parathion is seen with oral administration. Dermal exposure to methyl parathion, as likely occurred with the illegal spraying of private homes and businesses, may exacerbate toxicity and increase the potential for long-term adverse health effects.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Relationship between parathion and paraoxon toxicokinetics, lung metabolic activity, and cholinesterase inhibition in guinea pig and rabbit lungs.

Kinetic parameters of parathion and paraoxon uptake were determined in isolated and perfused rabbit and guinea pig lungs. They were related to organophosphate-induced lung cholinesterase inhibition. A single pass procedure was used to perfuse the lungs with an artificial medium perfusate containing paraoxon or parathion. The paraoxon and parathion concentrations were determined in the effluents collected at chosen intervals over an 18-min period beginning at the start of perfusion. Three inflowing concentrations (1 nmol/ml, 10 nmol/ml, and 20 nmol/ml) were tested in guinea pig lungs and one (10 nmol/ml) in rabbit lungs. Cholinesterase activity was determined at time 0 and at the end of the experiment. The lungs abundantly extracted paraoxon and parathion over the perfusion period. The extraction ratio was consistently greater in guinea pig than in rabbit lungs. The uptake velocity varied biexponentially in time, suggesting the existence of two compartments. Initial uptake velocities (A, B) and slopes (alpha and beta) were calculated for both compartments. In guinea pigs, A, B and A + B increased proportionally to the supply rate of paraoxon and parathion while a and b remained constant. No significant difference was observed between parathion and paraoxon uptake kinetics. Parameter B was the only one to differ significantly between the two species (rabbits: 8.19 +/- 1.53 for parathion and 6.85 +/- 1.26 for paraoxon; guinea pigs: 12.75 +/- 0.88 for parathion and 15.02 +/- 3.84 for paraoxon). In the lungs of both species, there was a linear relation between y, the percentage of cholinesterase inhibition induced by either organophosphate, and X, the total amount of drug taken up by the lung tissue (in nmol/g/18 min). The following equations were obtained: y = 0.128 x + 0.979 (R2 = 0.89, p < 0.001 for paraoxon); y = 0.120 x - 6.57 (R2 = 0.82, p < 0.005 for parathion). No difference was observed between the two organophosphates. After treatment with the cytochrome P450 inhibitor piperonyl butoxide, the above relations ceased to apply, but this treatment did not influence the kinetics of paraoxon and parathion uptake. The IC50 value calculated for paraoxon, i.e., the paraoxon concentration required to produce 50% inhibition of lung cholinesterase activity, was similar for guinea pigs (2.22 10(-7) +/- 0.22 M) and rabbits (2.36 10(-7) +/- 0.24 M). In conclusion, the biexponential evolution of the velocity of paraoxon and parathion uptake by the lungs thus demonstrates the presence of two pools. The lower extraction ratios calculated for rabbit lungs reflect the lower initial uptake velocity of the second compartment. In the range of concentrations investigated in guinea pigs, no saturable mechanism could be demonstrated for paraoxon and parathion. Cytochrome P450-related lung metabolic activity, through which parathion is converted to paraoxon, appears as a major step in parathion-induced lung cholinesterase inhibition, although it does not appear to affect parathion toxicokinetics.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition and recovery of maternal and fetal cholinesterase enzyme activity following a single cutaneous dose of methyl parathion and diazinon, alone and in combination, in pregnant rats.

Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats (14-18 days of gestation) were treated with a single cutaneous subclinical dose(s) of 10 mg kg(-1) (15% of LD(50)) of methyl parathion (O,O-dimethyl O-4-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate) and 65 mg kg(-1) (15% of LD(50)) of diazinon (O,O)-diethyl O-2-isopropyl-6-methylpyrimidinyl phosphorothioate, and their combination. Animals were sacrificed at 1, 2, 4, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after dosing. Inhibition of maternal and fetal cholinesterase enzyme activity has been determined. Methyl parathion significantly inhibited maternal and fetal brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity within 24 h after dosing. Diazinon and a mixture of methyl parathion and diazinon caused lesser inhibition compared with methyl parathion alone. Recovery of maternal and fetal brain AChE activity was in the order of diazinon > combination of diazinon and methyl parathion > methyl parathion 96 h after dosing. Although fetal plasma BuChE activity recovered to 100% of control within 96 h of application, maternal BuChE activity remained inhibited to 55% and 32% of control 96 h after application of methyl parathion and a mixture of methyl parathion and diazinon, respectively. Following a single dermal dose of methyl parathion, the activity of maternal liver BuChE was 63% of control 2 h after dosing, whereas inhibition of placental AChE or BuChE activity occurred 12 and 1 h following a single dose of methyl parathion, corresponding to activities of 63% and 54% of control, respectively. Diazinon, alone or in combination with methyl parathion, did not inhibit significantly the maternal liver BuChE or placental AChE and BuChE activity. The results suggest that dermal application of a single dose of methyl parathion and diazinon, alone or in combination, has an easy access into maternal and fetal tissues, resulting in inhibition of cholinesterase enzymes. The lower inhibitory effect of the combination of methyl parathion and diazinon might be due to competition of diazinon with methyl parathion for cytochrome P-450 enzymes, resulting in formation of the potent cholinesterase inhibitor methyl paraoxon. The faster recovery of fetal cholinesterase enzymes is attributed to the rapid de novo synthesis of cholinesterase fetal tissues compared with the mother.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2005

Role of metabolism in parathion-induced hepatotoxicity and immunotoxicity.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether metabolic activation of parathion by cytochrome P-450s (CYPs) was responsible for pesticide-induced hepatotoxicity and immunotoxicity. Initially, to investigate parathion metabolism in vitro, the production of paraoxon and p-nitrophenol, major metabolites of parathion, was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Subsequently, metabolic fate and CYP enzymes involved in the metabolism of parathion were partially monitored in rat liver microsomes in the presence of the NADPH-generating system. Among others, phenobarbital (PB)-induced microsomes produced the metabolites paraoxon and p-nitrophenol to the greatest extent, indicating the involvement of CYP 2B in parathion metabolism. When female BALB/c mice were treated orally with 1, 4, or 16 mg/kg of parathion in corn oil once, parathion suppressed the antibody response to sheep red blood cells. To further investigate a possible role of metabolic activation by CYP enzymes in parathion-induced toxicity, female BALB/c mice were pretreated intraperitoneally with 40 mg/kg PB for 3 d, followed by a single oral treatment with 16 mg/kg parathion. PB pretreatment produced a decrease in hepatic glutathione content and increases in hepatotoxic paramenters in parathion-treated mice with no changes in the antibody response. In addition, greater p-nitrophenol amounts were produced when mice were pretreated with PB, compared to treatment with parathion alone. These results indicate that parathion-induced hepatotoxicity might be differentiated from immunotoxicity in mice.

Alanine Transaminase↗
PubMed2000

Effects of physostigmine on the pharmacokinetics of intravenous parathion in rats.

It was reported that the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to time infinity (AUC) of parathion was significantly smaller, and the time-averaged total body clearance (Cl) of parathion was significantly faster after intravenous administration of parathion to rats pretreated with dexamethasone than those in control rats. This was supported by significantly faster intrinsic clearance of parathion to form paraoxon in hepatic microsomal fraction of rats pretreated with dexamethasone. The above data suggested that parathion was metabolized to paraoxon by dexamethasone-inducible hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A in rats. The purpose of this study is to explain the protective effects of physostigmine against paraoxon toxicity by suppressing CYP3A, and hence, decreasing formation of a toxic metabolite, paraoxon. The pharmacokinetic changes of parathion and paraoxon were investigated after intravenous administration of parathion, 3 mg/kg, to control Sprague-Dawley rats, and the rats pretreated with physostigmine (100 microg/kg, intraperitoneal injection 30 min before parathion administration). After a 1-min intravenous infusion of parathion to rats pretreated with physostigmine, the AUC of parathion (60.4 compared with 73.7 microg min/mL) was significantly greater, Cl of parathion (49.7 compared with 40.7 mL/min/kg) was significantly slower, and amount of paraoxon recovered from liver, mesentery and large intestine at 5 min was smaller than those in control rats. Based on in vitro rat hepatic microsomal studies, physostigmine inhibited significantly the erythromycin N-demethylase activity (1.03 compared with 0.924 nmol/mg protein/min), mainly mediated by hepatic cytochrome P450 3A in rats. The above data suggested that the formation of paraoxon was inhibited in rats pretreated with physostigmine by inhibiting CYP3A.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Dietary modulation of parathion-induced neurotoxicity in adult and juvenile rats.

Previous studies indicated that dietary glucose (15% in drinking water) could markedly exacerbate the toxicity of parathion in adult rats. The present study evaluated the effect of consumption of the commonly used sweetener, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), on parathion toxicity in adult and juvenile rats. Animals were given free access to either water or 15% HFCS in drinking water for a total of 10 days and challenged with parathion (6 or 18 mg/kg, s.c., for juveniles or adults, respectively) on the 4th day. Signs of cholinergic toxicity, body weight and chow/fluid intake were recorded daily. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and immunoreactivity (AChE-IR) in frontal cortex and diaphragm were measured at 2, 4, and 7 days after parathion. As HFCS was associated with significant reduction in chow intake, adult rats were also pair-fed to evaluate the effect of similar reduced chow intake alone on parathion toxicity. The results indicated that the cholinergic toxicity of parathion was significantly increased by HFCS feeding in both age groups. The excess sugar consumption, however, did not significantly affect parathion-induced AChE inhibition in either tissue or either age group. Enzyme immunoreactivity in frontal cortex was generally not affected in either age group while diaphragm AChE-IR was significantly reduced by parathion and HFCS alone in adult animals at 2 and 4 days timepoints, and more so by the combination of sugar feeding and parathion exposure in both age groups. Food restriction alone did not exacerbate parathion toxicity. While the mechanism(s) remains unclear, we conclude that voluntary consumption of the common sweetener HFCS can markedly amplify parathion acute toxicity in both juvenile and adult rats.

Acetylcholinesterase↗
PubMed2000

Effects of neostigmine on the pharmacokinetics of intravenous parathion in rats.

It was reported that the area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time zero to time infinity (AUC) of parathion was significantly smaller and the time-averaged total body clearance (CL) of parathion was significantly faster after intravenous administration of parathion to rats pretreated with dexamethasone than those in control rats. This was supported by significantly faster intrinsic clearance of parathion to form paraoxon in hepatic microsomal fraction of rats pretreated with dexamethasone. The above data suggested that parathion was metabolized to paraoxon by dexamethasone-inducible hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A in rats. The purpose of this study is to explain the protective effects of neostigmine against paraoxon toxicity by suppressing CYP3A and hence decreasing formation of toxic metabolite, paraoxon by neostigmine. The pharmacokinetic changes of parathion and its active metabolite, paraoxon, were investigated after intravenous administration of parathion, 3 mg/kg, to control Sprague-Dawley rats and the rats pretreated with neostigmine (200 microg/kg, intraperitoneal injection 30 min before parathion administration). After 1-min intravenous infusion of parathion to rats pretreated with neostigmine, the AUC of parathion (65.1 versus 74.3 microg min/ml) was significantly greater and the CL of parathion (45.1 versus 40.4 ml/min/kg) was significantly slower than those in control rats. Based on in vitro hepatic microsomal studies, neostigmine inhibited significantly the erythromycin N-demethylase activity (1.03 versus 0.871 nmol/mg protein/min), mainly mediated by hepatic cytochrome P450 3A in rats. The above data suggested that the formation of paraoxon was inhibited in rats pretreated with neostigmine by inhibiting CYP3A.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of the liver in mediating the acute toxicity of the pesticide methyl parathion in the mouse.

Mouse livers perfused in situ with the pesticide methyl parathion (O,O-dimethyl O-P-nitrophenyl phosphorothioate) resulted in the appearance of the toxic metabolite, methyl paraoxon (O,O-dimethyl-O-P-nitrophenyl phosphate), in the effluent perfusate. Mouse whole blood rapidly detoxified methyl paraoxon in vitro, but not at a rate sufficient to prevent transport of at least some of this toxic metabolite from liver to other tissues in vivo. The hepatic disposition and biotransformation of methyl parathion in perfused livers were altered markedly by changes in protein binding of methyl parathion to perfusate, but only slightly by changes in perfusate flow rates that maintained viable livers. Pretreatment of mice with phenobarbital daily for 4 days (80 mg/kg, ip) induced hepatic microsomal activation of methyl parathion to methyl paraoxon in vitro and increased the clearance of methyl parathion by perfused mouse livers. However, in contrast to perfusion of methyl parathion into livers from saline-pretreated mice, perfusion of methyl parathion into livers from phenobarbital-pretreated mice did not lead to the appearance of methyl paraoxon in effluent perfusate. Nevertheless, methyl paraoxon was produced intrahepatically during these perfusions since hepatic cholinesterase activities were depressed compared to livers from phenobarbital-pretreated mice perfused without methyl parathion. Furthermore, phenobarbital pretreatment antagonized the acute toxicity of methyl parathion in vivo in the mouse. These data demonstrate that the net result of the biotransformation of methyl parathion by livers in untreated mice is metabolic activation, whereas the net result by livers of phenobarbital-pretreated mice is detoxification.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Glutathione-dependent biotransformation of methyl parathion by mouse liver in vitro.

The present study was undertaken in an attempt to reconcile the seemingly conflicting observations that glutathione-dependent biotransformation of methyl parathion (O,O-dimethyl-O-(4-nitrophenyl)phosphorothionate) by hepatic supernatant or partially purified glutathione S-transferases occurs in vitro, but not to any significant degree in vivo in the mouse. While incubation of 20 microM methyl parathion with glutathione-fortified 100,000 x g hepatic supernatant resulted in biotransformation of this insecticide, addition of the carbon monoxide exposed microsomal fraction (without NADPH) to the supernatant abolished this metabolism. HPLC analyses of the distribution of methyl parathion between 100,000 x g supernatant and carbon monoxide-exposed microsomes revealed that little methyl parathion could be recovered in the 100,000 x g supernatant, and that the bulk of this insecticide was associated with the microsomal fraction. Increasing the concentration of methyl parathion to 1 mM resulted in a greater fraction of methyl parathion found in the supernatant compared to that with 20 microM, although the bulk of methyl parathion remained associated with the microsomal fraction. While this increase in the fraction of substrate located within the supernatant led to limited glutathione-dependent metabolism of methyl parathion, it must be emphasized that a liver concentration of 1 mM methyl parathion is far greater than that which could be achieved in vivo. In conclusion, the results of the present study support the hypothesis that in the mouse, glutathione-dependent metabolism of methyl parathion does not occur to a significant degree in vivo because of its limited access to the soluble glutathione S-transferases.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Modulation of parathion toxicity by glucose feeding: Is nitric oxide involved?

Glucose feeding can markedly exacerbate the toxicity of the anticholinesterase insecticide, parathion. We determined the effects of parathion on brain nitric oxide and its possible role in potentiation of toxicity by glucose feeding. Adult rats were given water or 15% glucose in water for 3 days and challenged with vehicle or parathion (18 mg/kg, s.c.) on day 4. Functional signs, plasma glucose and brain cholinesterase, citrulline (an indicator of nitric oxide production) and high-energy phosphates (HEPs) were measured 1-3 days after parathion. Glucose feeding exacerbated cholinergic toxicity. Parathion increased plasma glucose (15-33%) and decreased cortical cholinesterase activity (81-90%), with no significant differences between water and glucose treatment groups. In contrast, parathion increased brain regional citrulline (40-47%) and decreased HEPs (18-40%) in rats drinking water, with significantly greater changes in glucose-fed rats (248-363% increase and 31-61% decrease, respectively). We then studied the effects of inhibiting neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) by 7-nitroindazole (7NI, 30 mg/kg, i.p. x4) on parathion toxicity and its modulation by glucose feeding. Co-exposure to parathion and 7NI led to a marked increase in cholinergic signs of toxicity and lethality, regardless of glucose intake. Thus, glucose feeding enhanced the accumulation of brain nitric oxide following parathion exposure, but inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis was ineffective at counteracting increased parathion toxicity associated with glucose feeding. Evidence is therefore presented to suggest that nitric oxide may play both toxic and protective roles in cholinergic toxicity, and its precise contribution to modulation by glucose feeding requires further investigation.

Adenine Nucleotides↗
PubMed2004

Comparative inhibition of inducible and constitutive CYPs in rat hepatic microsomes by parathion.

1. In microsomal fractions, the phosphorothioate pesticide parathion inhibits cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes by reversible and irreversible mechanisms resulting in the long-term suppression of drug oxidation. The present study evaluated the relative susceptibilities of constitutive and inducible CYP2 and CYP3 steroid hydroxylases to inhibition by the pesticide. 2. Enzyme kinetic analysis indicated that constitutive and dexamethasone (DEX)-induced androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (AD) 6beta-hydroxylations were similarly susceptible to inhibition by parathion (Km/Ki ratios 1.5-1.6). However, preincubation of parathion with NADPH-fortified microsomes intensified the extent of inhibition of CYP3A-dependent 6beta-hydroxylation. Comparison of Km/Ki ratios indicated that 6beta-hydroxylation activity in fractions from DEX-pretreated rats was about twice as susceptible as the control activity to inactivation by parathion metabolites (Km/Ki ratio of 8.0 versus 4.0). 3. The time-dependent loss of AD 6beta-hydroxylation by parathion occurred more efficiently in fractions from DEX-induced liver than in control. Thus, half-times of 1.3 and 6.1 min, respectively, were determined for the inactivation of DEX-inducible and constitutive activities. Parathion concentrations required for half-maximal inactivation were 32 and 67 microM in microsomes from DEX-induced and control rats. 4. In phenobarbital (PB)-induced fractions CYP2B1-mediated AD 16beta-hydroxylation was inhibited potently in a reversible fashion by parathion (Ki = 0.37 microM; Km/Ki ratio about 73). Inhibition was not enhanced at parathion concentrations near the Ki by a preincubation step with NADPH. 5. In control microsomes parathion elicited a type I binding interaction with oxidized CYP (Ks=7.7 microM, deltaAmax=2.2 x 10(-2) a.u.nmol CYP-1; deltaAmax/Ks 2.86 x 10(3) a.u. nmol CYP(-1)/mM). Ligand binding was 13- and 1.6-fold more efficient in PB and DEX microsomes, respectively. 6. These findings indicate that pretreatment of rats with enzyme-inducing drugs like DEX and PB alters the profile of CYPs and their susceptibility to inhibition by parathion. Potent reversible inhibition of CYP2B1 occurred in PB-induced fractions and DEX-inducible CYPs 3A were more susceptible to mechanism-based inactivation than the corresponding constitutive CYPs from the same subfamily.

Androstenedione↗
PubMed2003

Human parathion poisoning. A toxicokinetic analysis.

The mortality rate of suicidal parathion poisoning is particularly high, the onset of fulminant cholinergic signs, and the patients frequently present to the emergency physician with life-threatening symptoms. Despite this uniformity, subsequent clinical course differs significantly among patients, mostly not as a result of different delays in treatment or insufficiency of primary care. Probably, the differences depend on the amount of poison absorbed and/or the disposition of the active poison, paraoxon. We followed the toxicokinetics of parathion and tried to quantify the actual poison load. To this end, we monitored parathion-intoxicated patients (patients requiring artificial ventilation) for plasma levels of parathion and paraoxon along with the activity of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase and its reactivatability. Plasma obidoxime concentrations were followed as well as the cumulative urinary para-nitrophenol conjugate excretion as a measure of total poison load. All patients received a standard obidoxime scheme of a 250 mg bolus dose intravenously, followed by continuous infusion with 750 mg per 24 hours as long as reactivation could be expected (usually 1 week). All other treatment was instituted as judged by the physician. It was recommended to use atropine at low doses to achieve dry mucous membranes, no bronchoconstriction and no bradycardia. Usually 1-2 mg/h were sufficient. Seven selected cases are presented exemplifying toxicokinetic peculiarities. All patients were severely intoxicated, while the amount of parathion absorbed varied widely (between 0.12 and 4.4 g; lethal dose 0.02-0.1 g) and was generally much lower than anticipated from the reports of relatives. It remains open whether the discrepancies between reports and findings were due to exaggeration or to effective decontamination (including spontaneous vomiting, gastric lavage and activated charcoal). Absorption of parathion from the gastrointestinal tract was sometimes retarded, up to 5 days, resulting in fluctuating plasma profiles. The volume of distribution at steady-state (Vdss) of parathion was around 20 L/kg. Post-mortem analysis in one patient revealed a 66-fold higher parathion concentration in fat tissue compared with plasma, 16 days after ingestion. Biotransformation of parathion varied widely and was severely retarded in one patient receiving fluconazole during worsening of renal function, while phenobarbital (phenobarbitone) sedation (two cases) had apparently no effect. The proportion of plasma parathion to paraoxon varied from 0.3-30, pointing also to varying paraoxon elimination, as illustrated by one case with particularly low paraoxonase-1 activity. Obidoxime was effective at paraoxon concentrations below 0.5 microM, provided aging was not too advanced. This concentration correlated poorly with the paration concentration or the poison load. The data are discussed in light of the pertinent literature.

Absorption↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Factors affecting the biotransformation of the pesticide parathion by the isolated perfused mouse liver.

Single-pass perfusion of mouse livers in situ with the phosphorothioate pesticide parathion resulted in formation of paraoxon, p-nitrophenol, p-nitrophenyl sulfate, and p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-glucuronide. At a perfusate bovine serum albumin (BSA) concentration of 4% (fraction of unbound parathion = 0.04), and a flow rate of 3.2 ml/min/liver, the half-life associated with the approach to steady state of parathion was 6.2 min (SD = 0.4), whereas at steady state the extraction ratio of parathion was 0.19 (SD = 0.03). Alterations in perfusate flow rates had no discernable effects on metabolism of parathion. However, lowering the BSA perfusate concentration to 1.0% (fraction of unbound parathion = 0.12) significantly prolonged the half-life for the approach to steady state while increasing the steady state extraction ratio to 0.49 (SD = 0.08). At perfusate BSA concentrations below 1%, steady state conditions with respect to parathion could not be achieved during the 50-min perfusions. These results suggest that binding of parathion to BSA hinders its biotransformation by mouse livers perfused in situ, probably by limiting the availability of free pesticide to metabolic sites. Consequently, its elimination by the liver is insensitive to changes in hepatic blood flow. However, exclusion of BSA from the perfusate resulted in partitioning of all parathion in perfusate into the liver, leading to high concentrations of parathion within liver and preventing biotransformation of this pesticide.

Animals↗