Investigations on the influence of selected organophosphorus insecticides in experimentally-induced diabetes in rats.

The present work was carried out to investigate (a) the potential of
selected organophosphorus insecticides (OPI) viz., monocrotophos (MCP) and
dimethoate (DM) to alter glucose homeostasis in rats (b) the effect of MCP pretreatment
and post-treatment on diabetic outcome in experimentally-induced
diabetic rats (c) the propensity of MCP to potentiate ‘insulin resistancemediated’
alterations in “high fructose diet” fed rats (d) the interactive role of
experimental diabetes and OPI on oxidative balance and their toxic outcomes in
in rats. Our study clearly established the potential of monocrotophos and
dimethoate to affect glucose homeostasis in rats both after single and multiple
dosing. While single dose of MCP did not affect the lipid profile, hepatic
damage markers and liver glucose homeostasis in diabetic rats, multiple doses
of MCP at different exposure regimes showed the propensity to aggravate the
diabetic outcome in experimentally-induced diabetic rats by augmenting blood
glucose levels, altering glucose homeostasis and parameters related to lipid
profile, enhancing hepatic and renal damage. This study clearly provided
evidences on the potential of monocrotophos to augment the diabetic
complications and diabetic outcome in rats. Our study also established that pretreatment
of rats with monocrotophos had the potential to aggravate outcomes
in diabetic rats and hence pre-exposure to OPI may augment the diabetic
outcome. We also demonstrated that monocrotophos possessed the propensity
to augment alterations induced by High Fructose Diet (HFD) in rats which
indirectly demonstrates the potential of OPI to augment secondary
complications in animals with insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia and liver
damage. Further, our studies revealed that monocrotophos per se has the
potential to induce oxidative stress. Besides, it possesses the propensity to
augment the oxidative damage in experimentally-induced diabetic rats as well
as that in HFD rats. In conclusion, our findings suggest that people exposed to
pesticides are more prone to diabetes or people who are diabetic are likely to
exhibit exaggerated diabetic complications and outcome if exposed to
organophosphorus insecticides.