INFLUENCE OF INSECTICIDE EXPOSURE ON THE

IN VIVO AND IN VITRO METABOLIC

ACTIVITY OF RATS
T. LIN and H. W. DOROUGH
Department of Entomology
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky 40506

Insecticides were administered to rats as single doses, oral and IP, at approxi-
mately 1/10 their acute oral LD50 levels, or in tile diet at concentrations where the
daily intake was equivalent to the single doses. Carbofuran decreased the rate of
urinary elimination of carbaryl-14C from rats whereas Ruelene tended to increase
the rates. However, the changes were minor, 12% or less, and the nature of the
carbaryl metabolites was not altered. Carbaryl and carbofuran caused a reduction in
liver protein of rats injected with the carbamates for five days, but had no affect
when fed in the diet for 40 days. DDT increased the liver protein when injected but
not when fed in the diet. When administered in combination, by injection or in the
diet, DDT and carbaryl did not modify the protein content o f the liver. Liver and
kidney microsomes of rats fed DDT in the diet, alone or with carbaryl, resulted in
increased oxidase activity. Neither of the compounds affected microsomal glu-
curonidation of 1-naphthol. In a four-week feeding study, the rate of weight gain
was 15% less in animals fed carbaryl plus Ruelene or coumaphos plus Ruelene than
in the control rats. No significant difference from the controls was observed with
carbaryl or carbaryl plus carbofuran. Feeding these compounds did not affect
urine pH; but the urea content was increased by all treatments and the glucose con-
tent increased b y all except treatment with coumaphos plus Ruelene.

The wide array o f insecticides used in the production o f food products creates a situa-
tion where man may routinely consume a complex mixture o f these materials in his diet.
Yet, the residual nature and metabolic fate o f pesticides are usually investigated under
conditions which assure exposure o f the plant or animal only to the individual compound
being studied. It is not inconceivable that the results o f such studies would be vastly
different if performed in the presence o f other insecticides.

It is well documented that the microsomal enzymes can be induced with chlorinated
hydrocarbon insecticides (Conney 1967, Gillett and Chan 1968, Street 1969). Organo-
phosphorus and carbamate insecticides are not suspect as potent inducers of microsomal
induction. This is primarily because they are n o t retained in the animal for long periods
of time, and persistence in the b o d y is generally considered a prerequisite for a good in-
ducer of microsomal enzymes (Fours 1970). It is recognized, however, that non-
persistant compounds might act as inducers i f repeated, high-level doses are given to
animals.

Archives of Environmental Contamination 364

and Toxicology, Vol. 2, No. 4, 1974, O 1974
by Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
 Influence of Insecticide on Metabolic Activity of Rats 365

In addition to being potential enzyme inducers, the organophosphorus and carbamate

compounds could exhibit other characteristics that could alter an animal's ability to
metabolize other toxicants. For example, some organophosphorus insecticides tend to
inhibit the hydroxylation process (Rosenberg and Coon 1958, Welch et al. 1967)and
certain carbanilates also inhibit microsomal enzyme activity (Casida 1970).

The current study was conducted to determine if the metabolism of carbaryl (1-
naphthyl methylcarbamate) in rats was modified by exposure of the animals to other
insecticides. Carbaryl was selected because its metabolism in animals involves oxidation,
hydrolysis, and conjugation (Dorough 1970), all of which were considered in this investi-
gation. Other studies were performed to determine if insecticide exposure to rats altered
organ weight and protein content, microsomal enzyme activity, and urine pH, glucose,
and urea content.

Materials and m e t h o d s
Chemicals. 1-Naphthyl-1-14C methylcarbamate (carbaryl) (sp. act. 6.56 mCi/mM) was
supplied by Union Carbide Corporation and 1-naphthol-14C (sp. act. 15.2 mCi/mM)was
purchased from Amersham Searte. The radiochemical purity of each of the compounds
was 99+% as evidenced by thin layer chromatography (tlc).

The insecticides heptachlor (1,4,5,6,7,8,8a-heptachloro-3a,4,7,7a-tetrahydro-4,7-meth.

anoidene) and heptachlor epoxide (1,4,5,6,7,8,8a-heptachloro-2,3-epoxy-3a,4,7,7a-tetra-
hydro-4,7-methanoindene) were purchased from Unilab Research Corporation. Carbo-
furan (2,3-dihydro-2,2-dimethyl-7-benzofuranyl methylcarbamate) was supplied by FMC
Corporation, while DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane] and Ruelene
(4-terta-butyl-2-chlorophenyl methyl methylphosphoramidate) were purchased from City
Chemical Corporation, N. Y. NADPH 2 (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate,
reduced) and UDPGA (uridine-5-diphosphoglucuronic acid, ammonium salt) were ob-
tained from Sigma Chemical Company. Bovine serum albumin was a product of Nutri-
tional Biochemical Corporation.

Treatments. Female albino rats (Sprague-Dawtey) each weighing approximately 150 g,

were housed in metabolism cages for several days before initiating the experiments for
acclimation. Commercial rat chow (Ralston Purina Co.) and water were provided ad
libitum. In all studies described herein, sufficient animals were treated so that all data
represent the results obtained from three rats. All insecticides were administered in corn
oil, with control animals receiving corn oil only.

For investigating the effect of a carbamate or an organophosphorus insecticide on the

metabolism of carbaryt, rats were administered a single oral dose of carbarylA4C (50
mg/kg, 2.6 × 10 s dpm) alone, and in combination with carbofuran (0.5 mg/kg)or
Ruetene (4.6 mg/kg). The dosage rates were selected to represent approximately 1/10
the acute oral LDso to rats (Kenaga and Allison 1969). Urine and feces were collected
at 12-hr intervals for seven days and radioassayed. The urinary metabolites of
carbaryl-I 4C were analyzed using tlc.
366 T. Lin and H. W. Dorough

In another study, rats were given a daily oral dose, 50 mg/kg, of carbaryl-14C for
four days. Concurrently, the animals were provided an insecticide-free diet or a diet
fortified with five ppm of carbofuran or 46 ppm of Ruelene. These diets were fed for an
additional three days after the last carbaryl treatment. Urine and feces were collected
daily during the seven-day experimental period and radioassayed to determine the effects
of the insecticides in the diet on excretion of carbaryl-14C.

The influence of injecting rats with different insecticides on the weight and protein
content of the liver was investigated. Rats were administered intraperitoneaUy a daily
dose of 25 mg/kg of DDT, 50 mg/kg of carbaryl, 0.5 mg/kg of carbofuran, or a mixture
of carbaryl plus DDT, 50 and 25 mg/kg respectively, for five days. In the same series of
experiments, rats injected with DDT for five days were given a single oral dose of
carbaryl-14C, 50 mg/kg, or 1.naphthol-14C, one mg/kg. The urine was collected for 24
hr, radioassayed, and the nature of the metabolites determined. In addition, the NADPH2
oxidase activity in the livers of rats injected with DDT, carbaryl, or DDT plus carbaryl,
for 1, 3 and 5 days was compared to that in rats treated with corn oil only.

Rats also were fed a diet containing 500 ppm of DDT, 1,000 ppm of carbaryl, or 500
ppm of DDT plus 1,000 ppm of carbaryl, for a period of 40 days. The animals were than
sacrificed and the weights and protein contents of the liver, kidney, and spleen deter-
mined. Livers and kidneys were also assayed for a variety of enzyme activities.

A final study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding carbamate and/or
organophosphorus insecticides in the diet on weight gain, and on pH, glucose content,
and urea content of rat urine. The animals were fed diets for four weeks containing 500
ppm of carbaryl, 500 ppm of carbaryt plus 5 ppm of carbofuran, 500 ppm of carbaryl
plus 46 ppm of Ruelene, or 15 ppm of coumaphos plus 46 ppm of Ruelene. Weight gains
and urine pH were determined at weekly intervals while the glucose and urea contents of
the urine were determined only at the end of the feeding period.

Radioassay. A Packard Scintillation Spectrometer, Model 3380/544, was used for all
radioassays. For assay of the urine and other liquid samples, 0.2-ml aliquots were mixed
with 15 ml of scintillation solution (Aquasol, New England Nuclear). Dry samples, 0.5 g,
of feces and tissues were combusted using a Parr double-valved oxygen bomb. The 14CO 2
was collected in 20 ml of a trapping solution consisting of a 2:1 mixture of methyl
cellosolve and 2-aminoethanol. Two ml of the trapping solution was mixed with Aquasol
and counted. The efficiency of the combustion analysis was 95% or greater.

Analysis of urine. Urine was added to an equal amount of distilled water, saturated
with sodium chloride and then extracted three times with a 3:1 mixture of chloroform-
acetonitrile. The organosoluble and aqueous phases were separated and radioassayed.
After drying the chrloroform-acetonitrile with anhydrous sodium sulfate, the extract
was concentrated and spotted on a tlc sheet for analysis of the organosoluble metabolites.
The aqueous phase was adjusted to 1N with hydrochloric acid and heated in a boiling
water bath for two hours. After cooling, the water was extracted three times with 2:1
chloroform-acetonitrile and the organosoluble radioactivity subjected to tlc analysis.
 Influence of Insecticide on Metabolic Activity of Rats 367

Because this study was concerned with general metabolic pathways, no attempt was
made to identify individual metabolites resolved on tlc. Carbaryl, per se, was identified
and quantitated. The other products were treated with 1N sodium hydroxide to cleave
the carbamate moiety if present, and rechromatographed. Those materials demonstrating
a different Rf value were considered carbamates; those which did not change were con-
sidered as hydrolysis products. Water soluble radioactivity was assumed to represent
conjugate metabolites. Materials of this nature are referred to as carbamate or hydrolysis
conjugates of carbaryt-naphthyt-lA4C depending upon the tic behavior of the acid-
cleaved radiocarbon after alkaline treatment.

Thin layer chromatography. Ascending thin layer chromatography using ChromAR

500 sheets (Mallinckrodt Chemicals) was utilized for resolving carbaryl and its metabo-
lites. The tlc's were developed two-dimensionally, first in a 4:1 ether-hexane mixture
then in a 3:1 chloroform-acetonitrile mixture. Radioactive areas on the chromatograms
were located by radioautography and nonradioactive standards viewed under ultraviolet
light.

Enzyme studies. Animals were sacrificed and their livers and kidneys immediately
excised and placed in cold Tris-HC1 buffer (0.05 M, pH 7.0) containing 8.6% sucrose. The
tissue was macerated and homogenized in an equal weight of buffer and the homogenate
centrifuged at 15,000G for 30 rain. The supernatant was further centrifuged at 105,000G
for 60 rain. The final pellet was washed once with a 1.2% potassium chloride solution,
centrifuged and resuspended thoroughly in sufficient buffer so that one ml contained
500 mg tissue equivalents. A portion of the 105,000G preparation was used immediately
for oxidative enzyme assays while the remainder was stored at - 2 0 ° C for conjugative
enzyme assay.

Microsomal oxidative activity was determined by measuring total metabolism of

carbaryl-naphthyl-14C, epoxidation of heptachtor and NADPH2 oxidation. The method
for carbaryl metabolism was similar to that reported earlier (Dorough and Casida 1964,
Oonithan and Casida 1968). All incubations were carried out aerobically in a 25-ml
flask shaken in a water bath at 37°C for four hours. Epoxidase activity was determined
using the same in vitro system as used for carbaryl metabolism. Heptachlor, 0.02/~moles/
flask, was incubated with the microsomes and the enzyme activity expressed as the per-
centage of the material converted to heptachlor epoxide. Quantitation of the two com-
pounds was accomplished on a Varian Aerograph Model 1700 gas chromatograph
equipped with an electron capture detector. The glass column, 6 ft X 1/8 in., was packed
with 4% SE30 on Anakrom ABS, 80/90 mesh. Operating temperatures were: injector
205°C, column 200°C, and detector 215°C.

NADPH 2 oxidase activity was measured according to the procedure of Hart and Fouts
(1965). Incubation mixtures contained 2.5 ml of pH 7.4 Tris-HC1 buffer, 0.36 gmoles of
NADPH 2 and 0.2 ml (100 mg tissue equivalents) of the microsome preparation. The
optical densities at 340 mg were read at five-minute intervals at room temperature with a
Gilford spectrophotometer.
368 T. Lin and H. W. Dorough

Microsomal conjugating enzyme activity was determined by the in vitro method of

Mehendale and Dorough (1971) using 1-naphthot- 14C as the substrate. The percentage of
1-naphthol-14C converted to water soluble radiocarbon was used as a measure of conju-
gating enzyme activity o f the microsomes.

Other analyses. Lowry's method (1951) was used for liver protein determination with
the standard curve constructed using bovine serum albumin. Urinary glucose was deter-
mined using the Benedict method (1911) and the urea content of the urine was quanti-
tated according to the method of Fearon (1939). Data were subjected to analysis using
the two-tailed t-test and the least significant difference test for comparison of the means
between treatments and controls.

Results and discussion

Excretion and metabolism. Approximately 90% of a single oral dose of carbaryl-
naphthyt-14C administered to rats was eliminated in the urine and feces after seven days
(Table I). Eighty percent was in the urine and 10% in the feces. Elimination in the urine
was rapid with 84% of the total in urine voided during the first 24 hr after treatment. In
the feces, the majority of the excretion occurred between t2 and 48 hr after treatment.

Tile excretion pattern of carbaryl was not affected by simultaneously administering

Ruelene as a single oral dose. Carbofuran, 0.5 mg/kg, in combination with carbaryl, re-

Table [ The effect o f carbofumn and Ruelene on the excretion o f carbaryl-14C

administered to rats as a single oral dosea

Cumulative percent of dose after indicated treatment b

Hours after Carbaryl Carbaryl + Carbofuran Carbaryl + Ruelene
treatment Urine Feces Urine Feces Urine Feces

12 28.8 1.3 21.5 0.8 28.8 0.8

24 67.3 4.0 51.7" 2.6 61.8 3.0

48 75.0 7.8 60.9* 4.8 77.5 4.7

72 76.6 9.4 63.4* 5.9 77.5 5.9

96 77.5 9.8 64.8* 6.4 78.0 6.6

120 77.6 9.9 65.8* 6.4 79.2 6.6

168 79.7 9.9 67.5* 6.5 80.2 6.7

aCarbaryl-naphthyl-14C dose of 50 ing/kg. Carbofuran, 0.5 mg/kg, or Ruelene, 4.6 mg/kg,

administered simultaneously with carbaryl,
b Asterisk indicates a significant difference at the 5% level from the carbaryl treatment.
 Influence of Insecticide on Metabolic Activity of Rats 369

suited in a decrease in the rate of elimination of carbaryl-14C-equivalents in the urine,

but did not affect the elimination of the compound in the feces. The reduced rate of
elimination in the urine was first noted in the 12-24 hr sample and was maintained
throughout the seven-day period in which the urine was collected. At the end of seven
days, 12% more of the carbaryl dose was eliminated in the urine of rats treated with
carbaryl alone than in animals treated with carbaryl plus carbofuran.

An examination of the nature and magnitude of metabolites in the urine of animals

treated with carbaryl, carbaryl plus carbofuran, or carbaryl plus Ruelene showed that
carbofuran and Ruelene did not affect the manner in which the rats metabolized carbaryl
(Table II). In all cases, 3% to 6% of the administered dose was eliminated in the 0-12 hr
urine as products extractable into acetonitrile and chloroform. In the 12-48 hr urine, 7%
to 11% of the dose was as organo-extractable materials. Radiocarbon of a water soluble
nature constituted 18% to 23% of the doses in the 0-12 hr urine and 28% to 38% in the
12-48 hr samples. Metabolites characterized as carbamates and hydrolysis products were
of similar magnitudes at corresponding sampling intervals regardless of the treatment.

Generally, no differences were observed in the levels of carbaryl-~ 4C equivalents in the

tissues of rats sacrificed seven days after treatment with carbaryl alone and in combina-
tion with carbofuran or Ruelene. Radioactive residues in muscle tissue isolated from the
skin, bones, organs, etc., were equivalent to 2% of the administered dose, while in the
kidney, lung, and liver they accounted for 0.03% of the dose. Residues in the brain and
heart were 0.02% or less of the radioactivity administered to the animals. The only differ-
ence observed was in the liver of rats treated with carbaryl plus carbofuran where the
14C-residues constituted 0.1% of the administered dose, a level significantly higher than
in livers of animals treated with carbaryl alone or with carbaryt plus Ruelene.

The excretion pattern of carbaryl was altered slightly when given as a daily single oral
dose for four days to animals on a diet containing five ppm of carbofuran or 46 ppm of
Ruelene (Table III). As in the above study, carbofuran caused a reduction in the amount
of the carbaryl dose eliminated in the urine. Three days after the last carbaryl treatment,
12% more of the administered radioactivity was eliminated in the urine of the rats fed a
normal diet than those fed five ppm of carbofuran.

Urinary excretion of carbaryl-14C-equivalents in animals fed 46 ppm of Ruelene was

slightly greater than in the animals fed the normal ration. The difference was most appar-
ent while the animals were being treated with carbaryl. However, total elimination of
: 4C-residues in the urine was not significantly different from that in the animals fed the
control diet. The quantities of the carbaryl doses eliminated in the feces were the same in
all animals.

Rats injected with daily doses of DDT, 25 mg/kg, for five days, and then treated with
carbaryl-:4C and 1-naphthot-:4C, excreted and metabolized these compounds in the
same manner as did the control animals. Approximately 70% of the carbaryl-14C was
eliminated in the 0-24 hr urine, with 10% of the total radiocarbon extractable into
organic solvent. The relative concentrations of carbamate metabolites and hydrolysis
 %0

Table 1[ Nature o f radioactivity in the urine o f rats treated with a single oral dose o f carbaryl-14C
alone, and when administered simultaneously with either carbofuran or Ruelenea

Percent of dose when treated with

Nature of Carbaryl Carbaryl + Carbofuran Carbaryl + Ruelene
metabolites 0-12 hr 12-48 hr 0-12 hr 12-48 hr 0-12 hr 12-48 hr

Organ oex trac table b 5.8 7.8 3.2 7.3 6.4 11.1
Carbamate metabolites 1.9 2,5 0.9 3.7 2.2 2.8
Hydrolysis Products 3.2 4.2 2.2 2.9 3,4 7.4
.z
Unknowns 0.7 1.1 0,1 0.7 0.8 0.9

Watersotubtes c 23.0 38.4 18.3 28.5 22.4 32.6

Carbamate metabolites 2.5 1.1 1.4 2.2 2,4 2.0 O

Hydrolysis products 8.1 9.7 4.3 7.8 7.7 9.4

Unknowns 12,4 27.6 12,6 18.5 12.3 21.2

aDosage rates given in footnote a, Table I.

bMetabolites in urine which were extractable into organic solvent, Carbamate metabolites refer to those
materials with the carbamate ester linkage still intact. Unknowns; materials remaining at tlc origin,
CNature of metabolites based on aglycones produced by acid treatment of the watersolubles, Unknowns
include those materials remaining in the water after acid treatment.
 Influence of Insecticide on Metabolic Activity of Rats 371

products were essentially the same as shown in Table II. With 1-naphthol-14C, 60% of the
administered radiocarbon was eliminated in the 0-24 hr urine of both control and DDT-
treated rats. Over 90% of the urinary-14C was as water soluble products, indicating that
this compound was almost completely coniugated by the rats.

These studies of the elimination and metabolism of carbaryl in rats demonstrated that
neither DDT, carbofuran, or Ruelene seriously altered the oxidative, hydrolytic, or conju-
gative enzyme systems in the animal. Although some slight differences were noted, levels
of insecticides used in this study far exceed those which might be commonly consumed
by man. Even if accidental exposure resulted in consumption of high levels of residues of
these materials, the data indicate that the detoxifying mechanisms of the mammalian sys-
tem would not be altered significantly.

Organ weight and protein content. Weight and protein content of liver, kidney, and
spleen of rats injected with insecticides or fed the compounds in the diet were deter-
mined. As for liver weights, only carbaryl injected at 50 mg/kg/day for five days, and
DDT in the diet at 500 ppm for 40 days gave results significantly different than obtained
with the control animals (Table IV). With the carbaryl treatment, the liver weights were
lower than in the control animals, while DDT in the diet at 500 ppm for 40 days caused
liver enlargement.

Table Ill. Excretory pattern o f carbaryl when administered as a daily single

oral dose to rats for 4 days while fed a normal ration and when fed a diet
containing carbofuran or Ruelenea

Cumulative percent of carbaryl dose when diet contained b

Hours after
first carbaryl Control 5 ppm Carbofuran 46 ppm Ruelene
treatment Urine Feces Urine Feces Urine Feces

12 22.7 0.6 29.9 0.9 36.2 0.7

24 30.3 1.0 30.7 1.1 48.0* 0.8

72 58.7 7.4 49.6 7.6 74.5* 9.7

96 66.4 9.0 55.6* 8.7 89.0* 9.8

120 80.7 9.2 72.0* 9.0 90.2* 9.8

168 87.0 10.8 75.4* 9.6 90.2 9.8

aCarbaryl-14C dose of 50 mg/kg. Insecticide fortified diets were provided from the time of
the first carbaryl treatment until termination of experiment.
b Asterisk indicates a significant difference at the 5% level from the carbaryl treatment.
372 T. Lin and H. W. Dorough

Microsomal protein content was not affected by administering carbaryl, DDT, or DDT
plus carbaryl in the diet for 40 days. Liver microsomes of rats injected with carbaryl, 50
mg/kg/day, or with carbofuran, 0.5 mg/kg/day, contained less total protein than did the
control animals. The differences were not too great, but it was of interest that this reduc-
tion was noted with both carbamate insecticides. Although the liver weights of animals in-
jected with DDT were not significantly different from the control animals, the protein
content of the liver microsomes of DDT-treated rats was considerably higher. Continued
treatment may have resulted in an increase in liver weight as well.

Kidney and spleen weights were not altered by exposure to the insecticides either by
injection or when consumed in the diet. Average kidney weights ranged from 0.7% to
0.8% of the body weight; spleen weights ranged from 0.2% to 0.3% of the body weight.
A surprising observation was that the kidney and spleen of animals fed 1000 ppm of
carbaryl in the diet for 40 days contained higher levels of protein than did the control
animals. The livers of the carbaryl-treated animals contained 15 mg of protein per g of
fresh tissue and the control animals 9.4 mg. In the spleen, the comparable values were
7.8 and 5.5 rag. Statistical analysis of the data showed that these increases were signifi-
cant at the 5% level. It was also interesting that any effects on the liver, kidney, or spleen,
as a result of treatment with carbaryl or DDT, were not apparent when animals were
treated with the same doses of these materials in combination. This might indicate that
the observed differences were caused by factors other than the insecticide treatments, or

Table IV. Weight and microsomal protein content of livers from rats exposed
to carbaryl, carbofuran, and DDT

Treatment method Liver weights, percent Microsomal protein, mg

and duration of body weight a per gram of livera

IP injections for 5 days

Control (corn oil) 4.4 ± 0.3 20.9±2.0
Carbaryl, 50 mg/kg/day 3.5 ± 0.2* 15.9 ± 1.8"
Carbofuran, 0.5 mg/kg/day 4.0 ± 0.3 15.4 ± 1.7"
DDT, 25 mg/kg/day 4.6 ± 0.5 32.4±5.1"
DDT + Carbaryl 4.1 ± 0.4 19.3±3.7

In diet for 40 days

Control 3.7 ± 0.3 17.7±1.4
Carbaryl, 1000 ppm 3.2 ± 0.1 20.9±1.4
DDT, 500 ppm 4.8 ± 0.3* 19.3±1.3
DDT + Carbaryl 4.0 ± 0.1 18.2±1.4

aAsterisk indicates a significant difference at the 1% level compared with the control
animals.
 Influence of Insecticide on Metabolic Activity of Rats 373

that the effects of the individual insecticides were negated by the presence of the other
pesticide in the same system.

Enzyme studies. Because several different types of enzyme assays were performed on
the same liver preparation, and as it was impossible to run them simultaneously, a study
of the stability of the enzyme preparations was conducted. Rat liver microsomes were
stored in Tris-HC1 buffer, pH 7.0, at - 2 0 °, 5° and 25°C for up to 48 hr. Enzyme prepa-
rations held at - 2 0 ° C were separated into several individual portions so that samples
taken for assay were not previously thawed.

The preparations were assayed for oxidase activity using NADPH 2 and for conjugative
enzyme activity using 1-naphtholA 4C. At 25°C, the NADPH 2 oxidase activity declined
by 50% after 12 hr. Conjugative enzyme activity remained unaltered for 24 hr and was
85% of the original activity after 48 hr. Storage at 5°C and at - 2 0 ° C for 48 hr did not
affect the level of conjugative enzyme activity. In fact, samples stored at these tempera-
tures for seven days retained over 90% of their conjugating capacity. At 5°C, NADPH 2
oxidase activity was decreased by 30% after 12 hr and by 45% after 24 and 48 hr.
Enzyme preparations stored at - 2 0 ° C lost 15% of their activity in 12 hr, 30% after 24
hr and 50% after 48 hr of storage.

Since the oxidase enzymes were apparently unstable to some degree even at -20°C,
all assays of oxidase activity were performed immediately after the animals were sacri-
ficed. Aliquots of the preparations were stored at - 2 0 ° C for a maximum of three days
and used to measure the conjugative enzyme activity of the liver.

The NADPH 2 oxidase activities in liver microsomes from rats injected with carbaryl,
DDT, or DDT plus carbaryl are shown in Table V. After one and three days of injection,
the enzyme activity was essentially the same in all animals. After five days, however,
animals treated with 50 mg/kg/day of carbaryl exhibited less NADPH 2 oxidase activity

Table V. NADPH2 oxidase activity in the microsomal fraction of livers from rats
treated intraperitoneally with carbaryl and/or DDT daily for up to 5 days

Treatment and Percent N A D P H 2 o x i d i z e d / d a y s on treatment a

daffy dose 1 3 5

Control 2.5 +- 0.23 3.6 +- 0.16 4.2 +- 0.16

Carbaryl, 50 mg/kg 3.0 -+ 0.37 3.6 +- 0.05 3.1 + 0.53*

DDT, 25 mg/kg 3.1 +- 0.42 4.1 + 0.01 11.1 + 0.37*

DDT + Carbaryl 3.4 ± 0.10 3.0 + 0.58 4.2 + 0.53

aAsterisk indicates a significant difference at the 1% level from the controls.

374 T. Lin and H. W. Dorough

in liver microsomes than did the control animals. Liver microsomes from animals injected
with 25 mg/kg/day of DDT were approximately three times higher in NADPH 2 oxidase
activity than the control animals. These differences were not noted in animals injected
with DDT plus carbaryl, even though the dosage rate o f each compound was the same as
when administered individually.

Feeding rats carbaryl in the diet at 1000 p p m for 40 days did not alter the NADPH 2
oxidase activity in the liver or kidney (Table VI). However, there was an increase in this
enzyme activity in animals fed 500 ppm o f DDT alone and in combination with carbaryt.
The increase was less when the insecticides were fed in combination than when DDT was
fed alone.

The abilities o f the liver microsomes to epoxidize heptachlor and to metabolize

carbaryl were greatly enhanced in animals fed DDT in the diet, whether in combination
with carbaryl or when fed alone (Table VI). A similar increase in enzyme activity was
noted in the kidney insofar as heptachlor epoxidation was concerned, b u t not in regard
to total carbaryl metabolism. 1-Naphthol conjugation by the liver and kidney microsomes
was not affected by any of the insecticide treatments. It is clear from these data that
carbaryl, even when administered at very high levels in the diet, does not act as an enzyme

Table V [ In vitro metabolic activity in the microsomal fractions of liver and

kidney of rats fed diets containing carbaryl, and DDT for 40 days

% Metabolic activity b
Treatment NADPH 2 Heptaehlor Carbaryl Naphthol
and rate a oxidation epoxidation metabolism conjugation

Liver
Control 3.5 + 0.16 3.7 -+ 0.04 13.6 + 0.05 81.9 + 1.2

Carbaryl, 1000 ppm 4.1 + 0 . 1 5 4.8-+0.25 16.3+0.18 93.4-+0.9

DDT, 500 ppm 8.0 -+ 0.26* 50.9 +- 3.87* 33.2 + 1.57" 86.5 -+ 2.3

DDT + Carbaryl 5.8-+0.85* 59.7+0.25 * 28.5-+3.71" 86.4+-1.8

Kidney
Control 1.8 +- 0.90 0 0 81.9 + 5.5

Carbaryl, 1000 ppm 1.5 + 0.53 0 0.7 -+ 0.05 95.0 + 0.1

DDT, 500 ppm 4.6 + 0.90* 18.3 -+ 0.3* 0.4 -+ 0.04 89.3 + 0.2

DDT + Carbaryl 4.3 -+ 0.37* 17.4 -+ 0.8* 0.8 -+ 0.02 87.4 -+ 0.5

aTreatment rates for DDT + carbaryl were the same as individual rates shown.
b Asterisk indicates a significant difference at the 5% level compared with the controls.
 Influence of Insecticide on Metabolic Activity of Rats 375

inducer, and does not appreciably alter the inducing capability of DDT when the two
compounds are fed in the same diet for long periods.

Weight gains and urine tests. With increased use of the organophosphorus and carba-
mate insecticides, the chances for human consumption of mixtures of these products
have increased dramatically. Consequently, a study was conducted where rats were fed
diets containing 500 ppm of carbaryl, 500 ppm of carbaryl plus 5 ppm of carbofuran,
500 ppm of carbaryl plus 46 ppm of Ruelene, or 15 ppm of coumaphos plus 46 ppm of
Ruelene. The factors evaluated in this study were more of a clinical nature and included
weight gains and determination of the pH, glucose content, and urea content of the urine.
These results were compared to those obtained from animals fed a normal diet or a diet
containing 500 ppm of carbaryl.

The weekly weight gains of the animals are shown in Table VII. Carbaryl alone did not
change the rate at which the animals gained weight. Adding five ppm of carbofuran to the
carbaryl diet resulted in an 8% reduction in weight gain after four weeks of feeding. How-
ever, the reduction was significantly different from the control animals only at the end of
two weeks of feeding. An 18% reduction in weight gains over the four-week experimental
period was observed when Ruelene was fed in the diet, either in combination with
carbaryl or in combination with coumaphos. Since the reduction was the same in both
cases, and carbaryl alone did not cause any reduction in weight gains, the decreased
weight gains were probably due to the presence of Ruelene in the diet and not carbaryl
or coumaphos.

The pH of the urine was not affected by feeding the animals insecticides in the diet.
For example, urine collected after four weeks of feeding had pH values ranging from 8.5

Table VII. Weight gains of rats fed insecticide-containing diets for 4 weeks

PPM in Cumulative weight gain, grams/weeks on diet

Insecticide diet 1 2 3 4

Control 0 34.6 -+ 4.6 51.0 + 2.8 59.5 -+ 9.9 80.5 -+ 3.5

Carbaryl 500 35.8 + 9.3 46.3 + 9.5 66.3 -+ 9.6 84.5 + 10.6

Carbaryl + 500
Carbofuran 5 29.6 + 7.4 38.7-+ 5.8* 56.5 + 5.9 74.0-+ 4.2

Carbaryt + 500
Ruelene 46 30.4 + 1 0 . 1 33.2-+5.8 * 48.5-+6.3 * 69.5 + 9.t*

Coumaphos + 15
Ruelene 46 2!.3 + 6.1" 31.0-+7.0" 49.3-+6.9 * 6 8 . 0 -+ 9.2*

aAsterisk indicates a significant difference at the 1N level compared with the controls.
376 T. Lin and h. W. Dorough

to 9.0. The most alkaline urine was from animals fed the control diet while the less
alkaline urine was from animals fed the diet containing carbaryl and Ruelene.

Urea and glucose content of the urine were increased after four weeks of feeding of all
insecticides. Urine of animals fed carbaryl contained 2.5 times more glucose than that
of the control animals, and only slightly less when fed in combination with carbo-
furan or Ruelene. There was no significant difference in the glucose content of urine of
animals fed coumaphos plus Ruelene and those fed the insecticide-free diet.

Urine of rats fed carbaryl alone or in combination with carbofuran contained 2.2
times more urea than did the control animals. With carbaryl plus Ruelene and coumaphos
plus Ruelene, the urea content of the urine was approximately 1.5 times greater than in
the control animals. Although the increases in glucose and urea content of the urine were
substantial, there were no indications that the factors causing these increases affected
weight gains of the animals or their ability to degrade toxic zenobiotics.

Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by Environmental Protection Agency Grant No.
9-R01-EP-00820 and Regional Research Project S-73.

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Manuscript received January 23, 1974; accepted March 14, 1974