ACETYLCHOLINE IN PERIPLANETA AMERICANA L.: III. ACETYLCHOLINE IN ROACHES TREATED WITH TETRAETHYL PYROPHOSPHATE AND 2,2-BIS(p-CHLOROPHENYL)-1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE

Abstract

The levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in the thoracic nerve cords of cockroaches were increased by the topical application of 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT) and of tetraethyl pyrophosphate (TEPP), but only TEPP inhibited cholinesterase (ChE). Improvements in the correlation of symptoms, nervous activity, and ACh levels with ChE were obtained when nerve cords were homogenized in saline containing ACh, which prevented further inhibition of ChE by TEPP found to be present in blood and nervous tissue. There was a similarity in the distribution of ACh in thoracic nerve cords of roaches after topical treatment with TEPP and DDT but the physiological properties of the blood revealed differences in the mode of action of the two insecticides. The effects of blood from the poisoned insects on the electrical activity of the isolated nerve cord of roaches are discussed in relation to the penetration of the nerve cord by known neurohumors.