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It is well known that dichlorvos (DDVP), an organophosphate insecticide in common use, is so easily and rapidly hydrolyzed and excreted that it has usually little toxic effect on human body. In these days, however, it is widely used as an industrial and domestic insecticide and as an anthelmintic agent for animals, so that the accident of chemical poisoning occurs frequently. DDVP acts as a powerful inhibitor of carboxylic esterase, which can cause accumulation of acetylcholine at the synapses so paralysis of muscle and the transmission failure in cholinergic synapses dueing to desensitization of acetylcholin receptor may occure. Moreover accumulation of the acetylcholine brings about the elevation of the cyclic-AMP, which alters the cellular metabolisms of nucleic acid, carbohydrate, protein and lipid. Present study has undertaken to investigate the cardiotoxic effect of DDVP by electron microscopic study. A total of 30 Sprague-Dawley strain rats, weighing about 250gm were used as experimental animals. 2mg/kg/day of DDVP is intraperitonealy injected 3 times with intervals of every other day. On 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days and 14 days after drug administration, the animals were sacrified by cervical dislocation. Left ventricular cardiac muscles were resected and sliced into $1mm^3$. The specimens were embedded with Epon 812 and prepared by routine methods for electron microscopical observation. All preparations were stained with lead citrate and uranyl acetate and then observed with Hitachi-600 transmission electron microscope. The results were as follows: 1. In the cardiac muscle of DDVP treated rats, mitochondria with disorganized double membrane and mitochondrial crista, and vacuole formation in mitochondrial matrix were observed. But structures of mitochondria were recovered to normal in 14 days group. 2. In the cardiac muscle of DDVP treated rats, cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum were dilated and sacculated. But these changes were recovered to normal in 14 days group. 3. In the cardiac muscle of DDVP treated rats, glycogen particles around damaged myofibrils were decreased. But amount of glycogen particles were restored in 14 days group. 4. In the cardiac muscle of DDVP treated rats, disruption and discontinuation of myofilaments and disorganization of Z-disc were observed. But the structures of myofibrils were recovered to normal in 14 days group. It is consequently suggested that DDVP would induce the reversible degenerative changes on the ultrastructures in cardiac muscle of rat.
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