title: Acute chlordecone toxicity in rats: a relationship between tremor and ATPase activities.
abstract: Since we have demonstrated that ATPase system was sensitive to chlordecone, it was decided to examine the relationship between physiological and biochemical responses to this neurotoxin. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with chlordecone by gastric intubation at 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg/day for three days. Control rats received 0.3 ml of corn oil. Complete body movements (including tremors) were monitored for a period of 12 hr at 24, 48 and 72 hr after treatment by a piezoelectric crystal attached to the bottom of a plastic rodent cage. The output of the crystal was recorded by a Grass model of EEG machine and magnetic tape. For biochemical study chlordecone treated rats were killed, the brain synaptosomes were prepared and Na+-K+ ATPase, oligomycin-sensitive and insensitive Mg2+ ATPases were determined. Rats receiving chlordecone showed an increased tremor activity which was significant and dose- dependent with a correlation coefficient of the regression line of 0.96. The onset of tremors was evident as early as 2 hr in 50 mg/kg dosed rats. Behavioral abnormalities include startling response to external stimuli like sound, etc. The brain synaptosomal Na+-K+ and oligomycin-sensitive Mg2+ ATPases were significantly decreased in chlordecone treated rats as compared to controls and the decrease was dose-dependent. A linear relationship was observed between the decreases in ATPase activities and physiological (tremor) activity with an r value of 0.96. These results suggest that the inhibition of ATPase system in brain may be related to the production of the neurotoxic symptoms.
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D017301:Ca(2+) Mg(2+)-ATPase; D007631:Chlordecone / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000201:enzymology; D014202:Tremor / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; D017301:Ca(2+) Mg(2+)-ATPase; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase; D007631:Chlordecone