Premium
Acetylcholinesterase Toxicity of Malathion and Its Metabolites
Author(s) -
Walker W. W.,
Stojanovic B. J.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1973.00472425000200040015x
Subject(s) - malathion , chemistry , toxicity , acetylcholinesterase , enzyme , detoxication , pesticide , chlorpyrifos , biochemistry , toxicology , chromatography , organic chemistry , biology , agronomy
Malathion, under in vitro laboratory conditions, is readily degraded by an Arthrobacter species to four metabolites—malathion half‐ester, malathion dicarboxylic acid, potassium dimethyl phosphorothioate, and potassium dimethyl phosphorodithioate. However, it is not clear whether or not this degradation represents a simultaneous detoxication of the malathion molecule. With this in mind, the relative toxicity of each of the four metabolites to bovine acetylcholinesterase was determined manometrically with the Warburg apparatus. Malathion half‐ester retained roughly one‐third the enzyme toxicity of unaltered malathion, while the other metabolites showed essentially no enzyme inhibition. It was concluded that while microbial conversion of malathion to malathion halfester may well represent complete malathion degradation, it does not constitute complete insecticide detoxication.