EFFECT OF TRI-ORTHO-CRESYL PHOSPHATE ON HEN NERVOUS-SYSTEM

Correlation of tri-ortho-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) toxicity with clinica l symptoms and inhibition patterns of neurotoxic esterase (NTE) in dif ferent regions of the central nervous system was studied in hens. The total content of NTE in spinal cord and peripheral nerves was relative ly much lower than that of the brain, about 29 and 4.8 per cent respec tively. Brain and spinal cord NTE was inhibited to 75 and 67 per cent respectively on day 1 post-TOCP treatment, and 91 and 84 per cent resp ectively on day 2, while the activity of the enzyme in peripheral nerv e was inhibited to 92 per cent on day 1. However, the clinical manifes tations of paralysis appeared after 7-8 days of TOCP treatment. It can be concluded that the presence of NTE in very low quantities in the p eripheral nerves and its almost complete inhibition as compared to tha t of brain and spinal cord, could be of great significance in the deve lopment of neurotoxicity.