Abstract
Toxicity of a chemical is dependant on several different but interconnected phases: a) factors which influence the delivery of the ultimate toxic agent to its site of action (absorption, distribution, storage, activation, detoxification); b) the reaction with the primary target (reversible or irreversible); c) the biochemical and physiological consequences and d) the clinical expression of toxicity. This paper will focus on the toxicity of organophosphorus (OP) ester insecticides in relation to the mechanism of their interaction with the primary targets, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Neuropathy Target Esterase (NTE). While OP-interaction with AChE causes acute effects (cholinergic syndrome), interaction with NTE leads to the development of a completely different syndrome known as OP-induced delayed polyneuropathy (OPIDP). The effect of carbamate insecticides on AChE will also be briefly discussed. Carbamates do not interact significantly with NTE and are structurally unable to cause OPIDP.
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Moretto, A., Johnson, M.K. (1987). Toxicology of Organophosphates and Carbamates. In: Costa, L.G., Galli, C.L., Murphy, S.D. (eds) Toxicology of Pesticides. NATO ASI Series, vol 13. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70898-5_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70898-5_4
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