• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.191-206
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• 1988

Chick embryos which have received a single injection of the organophosphate compound,malathion (0.1 mg, 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg or 2.0 mg in 0.05 ml of corn oil) via the yolk sac at certain times (2 daya, 4 days or 6 days after incubation) have been investigated. After 9 days of incubation, chick embryos were harvested to investigate the effects of malathion on the development of cerebrum morphologically and biochemically. The effects of simultaneous injection of malathion and nicotinamide were also compared. On ultrastructural examination, neurons in cerebral cortex showed to be inhibited in their differentiation by malathion; nuclear irregularity, swelling of endoplasmic reticulum, and cytoplasmic vacuoles were observed. On cytochemical study of acetylcholinesterase(AChE) by electron microscope, the positive reaction products of this enryme were localized at the membrane of nucleus and endoplasmic reticulum of neurons. Inhibition of AChE activty was severe in groups treated with relatively low doses, which was consistent with the results of spectrophotometric analysis. The activity of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) of cerebrum in groups treated with malathion was higher than that of the control group. The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NAD) content of chick embruo treated with malathioti decreased significantly, and nicotinamide coinjection raised the NAD level as compared with the control group, thus preventing malathion-induced momhological alteration. In conclusion, it is suggested that malathion changes the ultrastructure of differentiating neurons and alters some enzyme activities in chick embryo cerebrum, and the severity of which is consistently dose-or age-dependent.