Paraoxon metabolism

Parathion, paraoxon and EPN are subject to reduction of the aromatic nitro group to an amino group [159] by mammalian, avian and piscine tissues [160], Paraoxon is the most readily reduced of the three compounds, EPN the least. Paraoxon metabolism to aminoparaoxon is the route of inactivation by rat, chicken and guinea-pig livers in vitro [160]. However, enzymatic hydrolysis of the phosphorus-nitrophenyl linkage of the oxo-analogues appears to he a major pathway of detoxication in manunals [142, 161, 162] but bovine rumen fluid is capable of reducing parathion and EPN to their... 

Paraoxon metabolism in rat liver was studied by Kojima and O Brien [121]. Using the tritiated compound, they found four distinct enzyme systems to be involved, the principal metabolite being diethyl phosphate, produced by hydrolytic cleavage of the p-nitrophenyl group. This activity, which they FAD is flavin adenine dinucleotide... 

Data from a single study in dogs suggest that hepatic first-pass metabolism may limit systemic availability of the parent compound following oral exposure (Braeckman et al. 1983). Placental transfer of methyl parathion was demonstrated in pregnant rats 1-3 days before parturition. Thirty minutes after administration, both methyl parathion and methyl paraoxon were found in fetal brain, liver, and muscle methyl parathion, but not methyl paraoxon, was detected in placenta and maternal liver (Ackermann and Engst 1970). Methyl parathion binds reversibly to serum albumin, but is readily distributed to the tissues (Braeckman et al. 1980, 1983). 

Compounds that affect activities of hepatic microsomal enzymes can antagonize the effects of methyl parathion, presumably by decreasing metabolism of methyl parathion to methyl paraoxon or enhancing degradation to relatively nontoxic metabolites. For example, pretreatment with phenobarbital protected rats from methyl parathion s cholinergic effects (Murphy 1980) and reduced inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity in the rat brain (Tvede et al. 1989). Phenobarbital pretreatment prevented lethality from methyl parathion in mice compared to saline-pretreated controls (Sultatos 1987). Pretreatment of rats with two other pesticides, chlordecone or mirex, also reduced inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase activity in rats dosed with methyl parathion (2.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally), while pretreatment with the herbicide linuron decreased acetylcholine brain levels below those found with methyl parathion treatment alone (Tvede et al. 1989). 

Practically all toxicokinetic properties reported are based on the results from acute exposure studies. Generally, no information was available regarding intermediate or chronic exposure to methyl parathion. Because methyl parathion is an enzyme inhibitor, the kinetics of metabolism during chronic exposure could differ from those seen during acute exposure. Similarly, excretion kinetics may differ with time. Thus, additional studies on the distribution, metabolism, and excretion of methyl parathion and its toxic metabolite, methyl paraoxon, during intermediate and chronic exposure are needed to assess the potential for toxicity following longer-duration exposures. 

In a study of the metabolism of methyl parathion in intact and subcellular fractions of isolated rat hepatocytes, a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been developed that separates and quantitates methyl parathion and six of its hepatic biotransformation products (Anderson et al. 1992). The six biotransformation products identified are methyl paraoxon, desmethyl parathion, desmethyl paraoxon, 4-nitrophenol, />nitrophenyl glucuronide, and /wiitrophenyl sulfate. This method is not an EPA or other standardized method, and thus it has not been included in Table 7-1. 

Sultatos, L.G. and S.D. Murphy. 1983. Hepatic microsomal detoxification of the organophosphates paraoxon and chlorpyrifos oxon in the mouse. Drug Metabol. Dispos. 11 232-238. 

Sanborn, et al. (13) reported that mosquito fish liver mic-rosomes gave rise to the monoester as a metabolite from dioctyl phthalate and that this metabolism was blocked by paraoxon. 

It was also found that paraoxon, an esterase inhibitor, substantially reduced formation of polar metabolite 1 from DEHP by trout liver microsomes with added NADPH. This suggests that polar metabolite 1 is formed via further metabolism of the monoester, the production of which was reduced by paraoxon. 

Dichlorvos (9.50) is an insecticide of reportedly wide use, the metabolites of which in humans include dichloroethanol and dimethyl phosphate. Like paraoxon, dichlorvos is hydrolyzed by human serum. However, the enzyme activities hydrolyzing the two substrates were shown to differ by a number of criteria [114], Clearly large gaps remain in our understanding of the human metabolism of organophosphorus insecticides and other toxins. A bacterial phosphodiesterase appears as a promising tool to understand the catalytic mechanisms of organophosphoric acid triester detoxification [115-117],... 

The discovery of prontosil was fortuitous and was not based on rationale design. There are a large number of pesticides which fall in the same category as prontosil, i.e., they are active by virtue of their susceptibility to metabolic or chemical modification to active intermediates. The classical example of an insecticide of this type is parathion, a phosphorothionate ester which in animals or plants is oxidatively desulfurated to the potent anticholinesterase paraoxon O). The insecticidal activity of parathion was known for several years before the purified material was shown to be a poor anticholinesterase and that metabolic activation to paraoxon was necessary for intoxication. 

Figure 2. Chemical mechanism for the metabolism of parathion to paraoxon by the Cytochrome P-450-containing monooxygenase system (6)...

The majority of the diethyl phosphate and -nitrophenol formed in the mammalian metabolism of parathion is undoubtedly derived by the action of esterases or phosphatases ( ) on paraoxon formed from parathion in a cytochrome P-450-catalyzed reaction. However, a significant portion of the diethyl phosphate and -nitrophenol must also be the result of the attack of water on the intermediate S-oxide of parathion ( ). 

The binding of sulfur and/or an activated intermediate of the phosphorus-containing portion of the parathion molecule to the endoplasmic reticulum leads to a decrease in the amount of cytochrome P-450 detectable as its carbon monoxide complex and to a decrease in the rate of metabolism of substrates such as benz-phetamine ( 19). Neither paraoxon nor any other isolatable metabolite of parathion decreases the amount of cytochrome P-450 or inhibits the ability of microsomes to metabolize substrates such a benzphetamine (19). 

It Is well known that phosphorothlonate insecticides such as parathlon (, 0-diethyl p-nitrophenyl phosphorothloate) and malathion [0, -dimethyl -(l,2 -dlcarbethoxy)ethyl phosphoro-dithioate] are Intrinsically poor inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase and in vivo activation to the respective anticholinesterases paraoxon and malaoxon is required before animals exposed to the phosphorothionates are intoxicated. Since metabolic activation is essential to the biological activity of these thiono sulfur-containing organophosphorus insecticides, compounds of this type may be considered as propesticides or, more specifically, prolnsectlcldes. 

Various esterases exist in mammalian tissues, hydrolyzing different types of esters. They have been classified as type A, B, or C on the basis of activity toward phosphate triesters. A-esterases, which include arylesterases, are not inhibited by phosphotriesters and will metabolize them by hydrolysis. Paraoxonase is a type A esterase (an organophosphatase). B-esterases are inhibited by paraoxon and have a serine group in the active site (see chap. 7). Within this group are carboxylesterases, cholinesterases, and arylamidases. C-esterases are also not inhibited by paraoxon, and the preferred substrates are acetyl esters, hence these are acetylesterases. Carboxythioesters are also hydrolyzed by esterases. Other enzymes such as trypsin and chymotrypsin may also hydrolyze certain carboxyl esters. 

Esterase activity is important in both the detoxication of organophosphates and the toxicity caused by them. Thus brain acetylcholinesterase is inhibited by organophosphates such as paraoxon and malaoxon, their oxidized metabolites (see above). This leads to toxic effects. Malathion, a widely used insecticide, is metabolized mostly by carboxylesterase in mammals, and this is a route of detoxication. However, an isomer, isomalathion, formed from malathion when solutions are inappropriately stored, is a potent inhibitor of the carboxylesterase. The consequence is that such contaminated malathion becomes highly toxic to humans because detoxication is inhibited and oxidation becomes important. This led to the poisoning of 2800 workers in Pakistan and the death of 5 (see chap. 5 for metabolism and chap. 7 for more details). 

Fish have a relatively poor ability for oxidative metabolism compared with the commonly used laboratory animals such as rats and mice. Insects such as flies have microsomal enzymes, and these are involved in the metabolism of the insecticide parathion to the more toxic paraoxon as discussed in the previous chapter (chap. 4, Fig. 25). 

Many differences in overall toxicity between males and females of various species are known (Table 9.1). Although it is not always known whether metabolism is the only or even the most important factor, such differences may be due to gender-related differences in metabolism. Hexobarbital is metabolized faster by male rats thus female rats have longer sleeping times. Parathion is activated to the cholinesterase inhibitor paraoxon more rapidly in female than in male rats, and thus is more toxic to females. Presumably many of the gender-related differences, as with the developmental differences, are related to quantitative or qualitative differences in the isozymes of the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes that exist in multiple forms, but this aspect has not been investigated extensively. 

An example of biotoxification is the formation of paraoxon from the insecticide parathion via sulfoxidation. The simple substitution of an oxygen atom for a sulfur atom in the molecule results in a cholinesterase inhibitor with several times more potency. Similarly, the toxic action of methanol in producing blindness is the result of its metabolism to formaldehyde. Examples of bioactivation and biotoxification reactions are shown in Figure 3.2. 

Disposition in the Body. Parathion is activated in the liver by metabolism to paraoxon. Parathion and paraoxon are further metabolised to diethylthiophosphoric acid (DETP), diethyl-phosphoric acid (DEP), and 4-nitrophenol which are the major urinary excretion products although DETP and DEP are unstable in stored urine. Urinary 4-nitrophenol concentrations may be indicative of the extent of exposure to parathion. 4-Nitrophenol is rapidly excreted in the urine and is not detectable 48 hours after exposure by inhalation or ingestion, but excretion is more prolonged after exposure of intact skin due to the much slower absorption of parathion by this route. Aminoparathion has been detected in postmortem blood and tissues. 

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