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Chronic Exposure to Chlorpyrifos alters Spontaneous Motor Activity and Skeletal Muscles Contractility in Young Rats

Authors:
Nancy Hallal
Mohamad Sayed
Wiam Ramadan
Hassan Khachfe
Ali Salami
Maram Saleh
Hiba El Sabbouri
Wissam Joumaa

Keywords: pesticides chlorpyrifos; spontaneous motor activity; muscle contractility.

Abstract:
Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is one of the most common Organophosphorus Pesticides (OP) used worldwide. The toxicity of CPF results from the phosphorylation of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme at nerve endings leading to a cholinergic poisoning in both central and peripheral nervous system. Neurobehavioral alterations, such as cognitive deficits and locomotor impairment have been extensively reported in studies following an acute exposure to CPF, but to less extent following a chronic exposure. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of chronic dietary exposure to CPF for 6 weeks on the spontaneous motor activity and the physiological parameters of two skeletal muscles, soleus and extensor digitorum longus (edl), involved in motor activities in young rats. Young rats were fed diets containing 1 mg/kg/day CPF (CPF1) or 5 mg/kg/day CPF (CPF5) for six weeks. Behavioral testing to assess the locomotor activity has been performed on weekly basis. The fibers from soleus and edl muscles were dissected and used to study contractile properties. Our results showed that animals treated with CPF suffered from hypolocomotion dose independent, which have been clearly manifested as an increase in latency time as well as the number of errors assessed by the beam walking test and a significant decrease in the beam balance time. CPF5 exposure showed an increase in twitch tension comparing to control groups for both soleus and edl. However, CPF1 exposure induces a decrease in twitch contraction in edl muscle. Repeated low level exposure to CPF1 and CPF5 impaired the fatigability index of soleus but not edl muscle. Those dose independent decrements reported in the behavioral tests came along a significant effect on the muscle’s contractile parameters. Thus, the greater level of contraction in both soleus and edl muscles studied in vitro might be linked to the alterations shown in the locomotor activity of rats.

Pages: 41 to 43

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2018

Publication date: November 18, 2018

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-4553

ISBN: 978-1-61208-682-8

Location: Athens, Greece

Dates: from November 18, 2018 to November 22, 2018