THE EFFECT OF PARATHION ON THE LIVER AND KIDNEY CARBOXYLESTERASES AND THE PLASMA ACETYLCHOLINESTERASES OF RATS FED NUTRITIONALLY DEFICIENT DIETS

Abstract

Female rats were fed diets low in minerals, vitamins, or protein, or a control diet, both alone and supplemented with 10 parts per million (p.p.m.) parathion for 3 weeks. Male and female rats were fed control and tow-vitamin diets both with and without parathion supplementation (0–10 p.p.m.) for 3 weeks. The liver and kidney carboxylesterases (EC 3.1.1.1.), and the plasma acetylcholinesterases (EC 3.1.1.7.) of the male rats, were measured.In the female rats, a low-mineral diet resulted in an increase of carboxylesterases in the liver and kidney; a low-vitamin diet caused a marked increase in liver carboxylesterases but had no effect on the carboxylesterases of the kidney. Parathion at 10 p.p.m. in all diets greatly reduced the liver carboxylesterases but had less effect on kidney carboxylesterases, except in the case of the low-protein diet, for which the reduction was similar to that in the liver. Varying amounts of parathion added to the low-vitamin diet reduced the liver and kidney carboxylesterases, but to a less extent than when added to the control diet.The liver carboxylesterases of male rats were inhibited approximately 50% by 2 p.p.m. parathion in the control diet and by 4 p.p.m. parathion in the low-vitamin diet. However, inhibition of plasma acetylcholinesterase and kidney carboxylesterases was not marked until the 10 p.p.m. parathion level was fed. The acetylcholinesterase activity of the plasma of male rats did not decrease until the level of liver carboxylesterases was very low.