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The metabolic fate of C14-DDT in Triatoma infestans

1962; Elsevier BV; Volume: 12; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/0014-4894(62)90070-x

1090-2449

María Luisa Dinamarca, Moisés Agosı́n, A Neghme,

Circadian rhythm and melatonin

(1) Nymph and male T. infestans specimens differ in their rate of absorption, excretion and metabolism of C14-DDT. Nymphs absorb DDT to a lesser extent than males. Furthermore, DDT is excreted at a faster rate in nymphs than males. After 96 hours of intoxication, 27.5% of the absorbed DDT is converted to a mixture of five metabolites in nymphs, while only 4.7% of the absorbed DDT is accounted for by DDT-metabolites in males after the same time of intoxication. (2) DDT is metabolized into five metabolites in both nymph and male adult T. infestans. DDE is the major DDT-metabolite produced by nymphs, while in males, metabolite No. 5 is the most important one, DDE being found only in negligible amounts. Metabolite 3 has the same Chromatographic identity as Kelthane, a DDT metabolite found in Drosophila and Blattella germanica. (3) It is postulated that the production of the more polar metabolites involves oxidative processes independent of the mechanism of formation of DDE. A tentative sequence is given for the formation of DDT metabolites in T. infestans and the availability of TPNH is suggested as a common link for both the oxidation and the dehydrochlorination processes. (4) It is considered that the differences regarding DDT penetration, excretion, and metabolism shown by nymphs as compared to males, may account at least partly for the higher tolerance to DDT exhibited by nymph T. infestans.