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PubMed1987

Effects of trimethyltin on the mouse hippocampus and adrenal cortex.

The effects of trimethyltin (TMT) on the mouse adrenal histology and its relationship with neuropathology occurrence was studied. Young, male CD-1 mice were divided into three groups: group I, injected on 3 consecutive days with 1.0 mg TMT/kg body weight (b.w.); group II, injected on 2 consecutive days with 1.5 mg TMT/kg b.w.; and group III, injected with a single acute dose of 3.0 mg TMT/kg b.w. Control animals were injected with saline solution. The brain and adrenal glands were sampled for light-microscopic examination. Although all animals received the same total amount of TMT, pathological changes in the granule cells of the fascia dentate appeared to be group III greater than group II greater than group I, suggesting that acute exposures produced a more severe damage to the fascia dentate neurons. Likewise, the adrenal weights of the animals were group III greater than group II greater than group I greater than or equal to control. Significant proliferation and enlargement of the eosinophilic or the "X zone" were observed in the TMT-treated, particularly groups II and III, animals. The expansion of the eosinophilic cell layer (X zone) was accomplished at the expense of the cortical fasciculata cells. Transformation of fasciculata cells into eosinophilic cells could also be demonstrated. As the eosinophilic cells are known to be active in corticosterone production as seen in stress situations, the proliferation of these cells may reflect a feedback response to the hippocampal hyperexcitation.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1987

The pathogenesis of trimethyltin chloride-induced nephrotoxicity.

In exploratory studies aimed at elucidating CNS effects due to heavy metal toxicity, signs of compromised renal function were seen in rats. The studies reported here describe the sequential steps of the development of nephrotoxicity by trimethyltin chloride (TMT) in rats. Single doses of 12.25 mg/kg TMT administered orally to 150- to 175-g Long-Evans rats elicited overt signs of toxicity including behavioral abnormalities and marked weight loss. Concurrent with the development of these signs, nephrotoxicity was manifested as functional kidney compromise and associated histopathologic evidence of tubular damage. Pathological changes in the kidneys from treated rats were hyaline droplet inclusions, attenuated brush border, basolateral vacuolization, and eosinophilic granular casts in the proximal tubule cells. These lesions were detected as early as 2 days post-treatment and progressed with time in an orderly and sequential fashion. Renal lesions between 5 and 8 days were mild to severe cortical tubular dilatation, hydropic degeneration, and diffuse hyaline droplet deposition in the lower nephron tubules. Medullary edema and exfoliation of degenerated tubular epithelial cells with cast formation followed from 8 to 11 days. The morphological changes were accompanied by marked elevation of blood urea nitrogen, parallel with polyuria at Day 2 and oliguria by Day 14. Behavioral abnormalities as well as weight loss correlated well with the time course and severity of renal dysfunction and progression of morphological changes. A second experiment compared the effects of TMT in rats of different weights. Heavier rats were more sensitive than lighter rats to the nephrotoxic effects of TMT. These effects were independent of recognizable neurotoxic effects of TMT in the hippocampus.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Selective behavioural impairment after acute intoxication with trimethyltin (TMT) in rats.

A series of experiments was conducted to characterize the long term behavioural consequences of acute intoxication with trimethyltin (TMT) (5,6,7, mg/kg p.o.). The acute toxicity syndrome, including weight loss, convulsions, irritability and hyper-reactivity was confirmed in treated rats. These symptoms subsided to reveal marked increases in locomotor activity in a novel environment but no lasting effects on consummatory behaviour or sensorimotor integration. Neither two-way active avoidance nor passive avoidance learning were impaired by doses of up to 7 mg/kg p.o. although intertrial activity was elevated in the shuttle box and extinction responding was increased. Place navigation in a water maze was impaired, particularly at the highest dose of TMT (7 mg/kg p.o.) and when a brief training phase (8 trials) was used. Finally, TMT lesioned rats were compared with controls on spatial and non-spatial discrimination tasks. Following 7 mg/kg p.o. TMT rats were highly impaired on the spatial discrimination but not the non-spatial discrimination despite the greater difficulty of the latter task. Histological studies confirmed the pathological effects of TMT in limbic structures, particularly the pyramidal cells of CA1 and CA4, and also revealed increased acetylcholinesterase activity within the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. The selective, long term behavioural impairments caused by TMT are discussed in the light of their qualitative similarity to the effects of hippocampectomy or hippocampal denervation. TMT lesioned rats may provide a suitable functional model for the partial hippocampal and temporal lobe pathology characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Time-dependent deficits in delay conditioning produced by trimethyltin.

Trimethyltin (TMT) produces behavioral and cognitive deficits resulting, in part, from limbic system toxicity. To determine whether these effects result from learning deficits or accelerated memory loss, the present experiment examined two delay conditioning paradigms in rats previously treated with either saline or TMT. Saline-treated Long-Evans rats receiving injections of lithium after consuming saccharin-flavored water later avoided saccharin ingestion: the degree of avoidance varied inversely with the time (0.5, 3 or 6 h) separating initial saccharin availability and lithium injection. Rats treated with TMT (8 mg/kg IV, 30 days prior) showed impaired conditioning at the long but not the short or intermediate delay conditions, suggesting that the deficits were mnemonic and not associative. Similar delay-dependent deficits in rats treated with TMT were observed in a passive avoidance task that arranged one of two delays between response emission and shock delivery during training. The effects of TMT on delay conditioning were accompanied by reduced bodyweight and hippocampal pathology. In summary, TMT appears to alter the temporally dependent association of events (entering darkened compartment versus saccharin consumption) and consequences (foot shock versus lithium administration) during acquisition. Furthermore, the observed deficits in delay conditioning produced by TMT did not appear to be task specific, with similar effects determined with tests of both somatosensory and gustatory avoidance learning designed to distinguish between functional alterations due to deficits in memorial processes from those due to altered sensory, motor, or associative processes.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Cholinergic and dopaminergic alterations in the mouse central nervous system following acute trimethyltin exposure.

Male mice were given a single oral dose of 0, 1 or 3 mg/kg TMT-hydroxide and sacrificed 48 hrs, 1 and 2 weeks later. Brain areas were removed, dissected and frozen for later analysis of neurotransmitter receptor binding by filtration techniques and determination of concentrations of monoamines and their metabolites by HPLC/EC. Muscarinic cholinergic receptor binding was measured over a [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) concentration range of 0.02 to 2.0 nM. Two days after TMT treatment, affinity of [3H]-QNB binding in frontal cortex increased. Gradual return to control binding affinity was seen over the next 2 weeks. The number of receptors decreased only at high dose after 1 week. In hippocampus, a similar increase was seen only at the 3 mg/kg dose after 1 and 2 weeks. Homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations were significantly decreased in the caudate nucleus 2 weeks after TMT treatment; concentrations of serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) were unaltered, nor was there a change in dopamine receptors as measured by [3H]-spiroperidol binding in the caudate nucleus or frontal cortex. To determine if TMT altered monoamine turnover or metabolite efflux, mice were dosed with 0 or 3 mg/kg TMT; 2 weeks later, pargyline (75 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was administered and the mice sacrificed 0, 30 and 60 min. later. Monoamines and their metabolites were measured in caudate nucleus. The HVA elimination rate was unchanged. The data suggests that the lower concentrations of dopamine metabolites observed 2 weeks after TMT treatment were due to a decrease in dopamine turnover. The decrease in muscarinic receptor affinity in frontal cortex and hippocampus and the decrease in the rate of dopamine turnover in the caudate nucleus indicate that these 2 systems are affected by TMT and may participate in the expression of its toxicity.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Fetomaternal kinetics of 14C-trimethyltin.

The mechanism of trimethyltin (TMT)-induced neuropathology remains unknown but likely relates to its time-course in the nervous system. To determine the pharmacokinetic profile of TMT in the fetomaternal unit, pregnant rats were injected on gestational day (GD) 17 with 7.0 mg/kg TMT plus 10 uCi 14C-TMT ip. Whole blood and plasma, cerebrum (CBR), cerebellum (CBE), and brainstem (BS) were sampled from mother and fetus/pup (f/p). Whole body saline perfusions of mother and f/p were performed independently to remove 14C contaminated blood. Whole blood total radioactivity showed f/p levels to be below maternal levels: at 4 hr, 42.6%, 24 hr, 54.2%, 96 hr, 64.8%. Litters were cross-fostered (CF) at birth with those from untreated mothers. Two weeks after treatment (postnatal day 10), pups exposed in utero (n=13, 2 litters) had whole blood 14C levels 13.9% that of their mothers. Untreated pups CF to treated mothers showed a blood concentration 1.8% of the dosed mother, indicating that TMT is transferred in milk. Radioactivity in maternal whole blood at 2 weeks was 49 +/- 11% (SEM) of peak (1 hr) levels. Only 2.5 +/- 0.2% of maternal whole blood radioactivity was present in plasma. 14C in urine accounted for 17.5 +/- 1.5% of the dose at 2 weeks (n=4). Both maternal and fetal brains contained about 2-4% as much radioactivity as found in maternal and fetal whole blood, respectively. TMT crosses the placenta, enters fetal blood and attains fetal brain levels that are equal to those found in maternal brain.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

The use of Synapsin I as a biochemical marker for neuronal damage by trimethyltin.

The content of Synapsin I (Protein I) was examined in brain regions of adult rats exposed to trimethyltin (TMT), and in control animals. Long Evans hooded rats were intragastrically dosed with 4 mg TMT hydroxide/kg body weight for 4 days. No perturbations in Synapsin I levels were evident by 24 h following the fourth dose; however, by 36 h, a significant decrease of 28% in Synapsin I level was present in the hippocampus of TMT treated animals. This decrease was selective, no other brain region examined was affected. As determined by regional analysis of inorganic tin, this specificity was not due to a profound preferential accumulation of tin in the hippocampus. Despite the absence of an alteration in Synapsin I levels at 24 h, morphological examination revealed perturbation in the normal uniform arrangement of granule cell neurons, with dead neurons diffusely distributed throughout the facia dentata. At 36 h, these changes were only slightly more extensive. In contrast, examination of the terminal projection area of these cells, the mossy boutons, showed to be unaffected at 24 h after the 4th dose of TMT. However, by 36 h, many of the mossy boutons contained dense bodies and showed signs of degeneration. This result suggested that the loss of Synapsin I coincides with degeneration of the nerve terminal region. In order to better establish the temporal correlation, a less severe dosing regimen (only 3 days of exposure to 4 mg TMT/kg body wt) was utilized to attenuate the time course of necrosis. Again, necrotic changes were visible in the perikaryon by 1 day after termination of toxicant dosing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Changes in neurobiological parameters in the hippocampus after exposure to trimethyltin.

The effects of trimethyltin (TMT) on neurotransmitters, morphological changes and physiological activity of the hippocampus were studied. A single injection of TMT (8 mg/kg) decreased the high affinity uptake of glutamate (HA-Glu), which is a marker for glutamergic nerve terminals, after 7 days. The maximal reduction of HA-Glu was 42% and was obtained on postinjection day 21. Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), markers for GABAergic and cholinergic structures, were not affected. The electrical activity of the hippocampus recorded through chronically implanted electrodes was altered by day three postinjection. The amplitude of the hippocampal electrographic record gradually decreased and the EEG ceased to be correlated with the rats' behavioral state. Fink-Heimer staining showed degenerating neurons within the subiculum, CA1, ventral CA3 and CA4 hippocampal subfields. TMT (3 mg/kg) injected once a week for three weeks decreased the HA-Glu significantly 21 days after the first injection. The HA-Glu was reduced by a maximum of 68%. The activity of ChAT was slightly increased only at day 35 postinjection while the GAD activity was not significantly reduced over a 21 day period beginning on day 14. Fink-Heimer staining showed degeneration of nerve cells within the CA1, ventral CA3 and CA4 hippocampal subfields. Both injection schedules produced degenerating neurons in the entorhinal cortex. The neurons of the dorsal CA3 region and the granule cells of the dentate gyrus were not lesioned by either TMT injection. The relationship between the behavioral, physiological and neurochemical changes induced by TMT will be discussed.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evolution of the intracellular changes in neurons caused by trimethyltin.

Rats have been given a single dose of trimethyltin (10 mg/kg) and the intracellular events have been followed particularly in hippocampus, cerebral cortex, cerebellum and spinal ganglion cells. The earliest change visible occurs 12 h after this dose and is found to be dense membrane-bound bodies, probably derived from branching tubulo-vesicular smooth endoplasmic reticulum formations. These occur in close connection with rought endoplasmic reticulum and polyribosomes and appear also to have some association with the Golgi complex. At 24 h there is a general vacuolation of Golgi cisterns and SER membranes, and the membrane-bound dense body formation is greatly increased. SER abnormalities are particularly conspicuous in Purkinje cells. In spinal ganglion cells, while vacuolation of Golgi cisterns is intense, dense bodies are inconspicuous and are replaced by increased autophagosomes, often of great complexity. By 48 h vacuolation of Golgi cisterns has waned, but accumulation of dense bodies and secondary lysosomes has steadily increased. In spinal ganglion cells autophagosomes only are increased as the Golgi vacuolation declines. At later times steady increases of lysosomal dense bodies is seen generally accompanied in hippocampal pyramidal cells and dentate fascia cells by abundant cell death. The suggestion is put forward that the Golgi complex may be the seat of the critical metabolic lesion and disturbances to protein transfer and protein synthesis follow. No explanation for the selective loss of hippocampal h1-5 (CA1-CA4 except Sommer's sector) pyramidal cells and of small dentate fascia neurons can be derived from these conclusions.

Amygdala↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Trimethyltin induced pathology in sensory neurons.

Pathologic changes in the retina, inner ear, pyriform cortex, olfactory tubercle, and dorsal root ganglia as a result of trimethyltin (TMT) intoxication were investigated. Long-Evans rats were orally intubated with TMT chloride at a dose of 6.0 mg TMT/kg b.w. Swelling of the optic fiber layer and necrotic changes in the ganglion and inner nuclear layers were observed in the retina as early as 72 hours after intoxication. Large segments of the retina were devoid of ganglion cells at later posttreatment times. The inner ear was also found to be extremely vulnerable to the toxicity of TMT. Edematous swelling of the hair cells and vacuolar changes of the spiral ganglion cells in the Organ of Corti were observed 24 hours after TMT exposure. Extensive destruction of these structures was evident 15-30 days after intoxication. Small neurons in the olfactory cortex (pyriform cortex and olfactory tubercle) also degenerated rapidly after TMT exposure. Electron microscopy demonstrated lysosomal accumulation and vacuolar changes in these nerve cells. Extensive destruction of both the pyriform cortex and olfactory cortex was observed 15 days after exposure. Although no necrotic change was observed in the neurons of the dorsal root ganglia, electron microscopy revealed extensive accumulation of lysosomes and formation of myeloid bodies both in the neuronal bodies and dorsal root fibers. Vacuolar breakdown and dissolution of the Nissl substance were found in some neurons. Thirty days after treatment, hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the neuronal mitochondria were observed. Such a change was believed to represent a compensatory response by these organelles. These findings provide the first morphological evidence of neuronal damage in the sensory neurons of both the central and peripheral nervous system following acute TMT administration.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Selective learning impairment of delayed reinforcement autoshaped behavior caused by low doses of trimethyltin.

The organometal neurotoxin trimethyltin (TMT), induces impaired learning and memory for various tasks. However, administration is also associated with other "non-specific" behavioral changes which may be responsible for effects on conditioned behaviors. To determine if TMT treatment causes a specific learning impairment, three experiments were done using variations of a delay of reinforcement autoshaping task in which rats learn to associate the presentation and retraction of a lever with the delivery of a food pellet reinforcer. No significant effects of TMT treatment were found with a short (4 s) delay of reinforcement, indicating that rats were motivated and had the sensorimotor capacity for learning. When the delay was increased to 6 s, 3.0 or 6.0 mg TMT/kg produced dose-related reductions in behaviors directed towards the lever. Performance of a group given 7.5 mg TMT/kg, while still impaired relative to controls, appeared to be better than the performance of groups given lower doses. This paradoxical effect was investigated with a latent inhibition paradigm, in which rats were pre-exposed to the Skinner boxes for several sessions without delivery of food reinforcement. Control rats showed retardation of autoshaping when food reinforcement was subsequently introduced. Rats given 7.5 mg TMT/kg exhibited elevated levels of lever responding during pre-exposure and autoshaping sessions. The results indicate that 7.5 mg TMT/kg produces learning impairments which are confounded by hyperreactivity to the environment and an inability to suppress behavior toward irrelevant stimuli. In contrast, low doses of TMT cause learning impairments which are not confounded by hyperreactivity, and may prove to be useful models for studying specific associational dysfunctions.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Effects of trimethyltin on dopaminergic and serotonergic function in the central nervous system.

The effects of trimethyltin (TMT) administration on regional concentrations of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and their metabolites were determined. Acute administration of 3 or 7 mg/kg TMT (as the chloride) to adult male Long-Evans rats caused alterations in both dopaminergic and serotonergic function in brain at 7 days posttreatment. Dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) concentrations were decreased in the nucleus accumbens of rats treated with 7 mg/kg, with a trend occurring with the 3-mg/kg dose group. Conversely, concentrations of DA or DOPAC were not altered in striatum, olfactory tubercle, septum, or amygdala/pyriform cortex. Administration of 3 mg/kg TMT decreased the concentration of serotonin in striatum and nucleus accumbens, and increased the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in hippocampus. The 7-mg/kg dose resulted in increased concentrations of 5-HIAA in striatum, nucleus accumbens, septum, amygdala/pyriform cortex, and hippocampus, and also decreased the concentration of 5-HT only in amygdala/pyriform cortex. The ratio of 5-HIAA to 5-HT (an indirect estimate of serotonin turnover) was increased in all brain regions of rats treated with 7 mg/kg, and in nucleus accumbens and amygdala/pyriform cortex of rats treated with 3 mg/kg. Conversely, no alteration in the DOPAC to DA ratio was found in any region of brain in rats killed at 7 days, nor was there a change in dopamine receptors (as measured by [3H]spiperone binding) in rats treated with 7 mg/kg TMT and killed 7 days following exposure. Thus, the acute sequelae of TMT neurotoxicity appears to involve primarily serotonergic systems, and these effects may be related to the behavioral effects resulting from TMT administration.

3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid↗

PubMed1984

Behavioral effects of trimethyltin in two strains of mice. I. Spontaneous motor activity.

Adult male mice (C57BL/6N and BALB/c) were administered single doses of trimethyltin X Cl (TMT) by the ip route. The effects of TMT administration were determined on lethality (3-6 mg/kg), spontaneous motor activity (SMA), and the physical appearance of the mice (0.3-3 mg/kg). The effects of TMT on lethality were strain dependent in that a single dose of 3 mg/kg, ip, produced approximately 35% lethality in the C57BL/6N strain during the first 72 hr following administration. Less than 15% lethality was observed at this dose in the BALB/c strain. In both strains, 3.5 mg/kg, ip, produced more than 70% lethality during the first 144 hr after administration. Higher doses produced proportionally greater lethality. The SMA of both strains was not affected significantly at doses below 1 mg/kg, ip. At 1 mg/kg a small decrease in activity was observed during the first 24 hr. At 3 mg/kg, SMA was initially decreased in both strains. However, the decrease was of smaller magnitude in the C57BL strain and was followed by a large increase in SMA which did not return to control levels for approximately 1 week. An increase in SMA was observed in the BALB/c strain on the fifth day following TMT but returned to control values by Day 6. At 3 mg/kg, ip, the C57BL mice were observed to have severe whole body tremors and were hypersensitive to external stimuli. The whole body tremor was not as marked in the BALB/c strain. Neuropathological studies on the treated mice indicated that the behavioral studies paralleled the pathology produced by TMT. These data confirm the initial observation of greater sensitivity of the mouse to toxic effects of TMT compared to the rat.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The time-course of trimethyltin-induced fiber and terminal degeneration in hippocampus.

Trimethyltin (TMT) produces prominent neuron death in the hippocampus. The time-course of TMT-induced damage was studied using reduced-silver procedures for impregnation of degenerating axons and their terminals, and a modified Timm's stain procedure for visualization of hippocampal transitional metals. Standard cell body stains were also used. Fifty-four, adult, Long-Evans rats were gavaged with 6.0 mg TMT/kg b.wt. and 10 rats were gavaged with distilled water as controls. Five TMT-gavaged rats and one saline-gavaged rat were sacrificed on either postgavage day 1, 3, 6, 9, 14, 19, 30, 45, 70 or 99. Histological examination revealed a band of degenerating terminals in the stratum lucidum, below the hippocampal subfields CA3a,b pyramidal cells, by postgavage day 3. This preceded dentate gyrus granule cell loss supplying the mossy fiber input to the stratum lucidum by several days. Hippocampal pyramidal cell necrosis continued through the examination period while dentate granule cell loss subsided between postgavage days 9 and 14. Fiber and terminal degeneration was more extensive in the dorsal hippocampus than in the ventral hippocampus, although Timm's-stained sections revealed "bleaching" of stainable metal in the mossy fiber pathway of the ventral hippocampus. These data suggest that loss of ventral dentate granule cells might reduce TMT-induced necrosis of pyramidal cells in the ventral (temporal) part of the Ammon's horn, possibly by preventing the spread of seizure activity in this region of the hippocampus. Additionally, although previous studies have reported the toxic effects of TMT to last approximately 60 days, the results of the present study indicate that TMT-induced degeneration continues for more than 3 months. Reduced-silver stains, such as the Fink-Heimer procedure, appear to be more sensitive indicators of enduring neuropathology than more traditional cell stains.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

Trimethyltin as a selective adrenal chemosympatholytic agent in vivo: effect precedes both clinical and histopathological evidence of toxicity.

Trimethyltin (TMT) is a potent neuronotoxiciant but there is little data regarding its systemic effects. In this study, female BALB/c mice were administered either 0.9% saline or 2.75 mg TMT/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.). The animals were then housed in room air or in glass chambers flushed with either 10%, 40%, or 100% oxygen. Mice were sacrificed at 4, 8, 24, and 48 h after treatment and adrenals analyzed for various neurotransmitters by ion-pairing HPLC with electrochemical detection. In addition, adrenal S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and blood ketone bodies were determined Sections of adrenals were evaluated by electron microscopy for histopathological changes. In vivo treatment with the toxicant resulted in a significant decrease in adrenal epinephrine and norepinephrine levels as early as 8 h following treatment. This effect preceded the appearance of both clinical signs and histopathological changes in the hippocampus by 12-24 h. With exposure to TMT in room air, mouse adrenal content of epinephrine fell from 1861.3 +/- 97.3 ng/4 mg to 1493.3 +/- 137.0 ng/4 mg while norepinephrine levels fell from 779.6 +/- 32.3 ng/4 mg to 503.4 +/- 44.3 ng/4 after 8 h. Supplementation with 40% oxygen did not attenuate this effect but in the case of mice treated with TMT and housed in 100% oxygen for 48 h, actually exacerbated the adrenal epinephrine depletion. Housing in approximately half normal atmospheric oxygen (10%) neither prevented nor enhanced the effects of TMT. The epinephrine/norepinephrine ratios were: control, 2.44; TMT (room air), 1.56; TMT (10% O2), 1.72; TMT (40% O2), 1.44; TMT (100% O2), 1.07. None of the conditions used in this study caused a decrease in adrenal dopamine, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) or in the level of SAM. TMT treatment significantly increased blood ketone bodies indicating additional metabolic dysfunction. The significance of these findings in relation to TMT neuronotoxicity and fatty liver syndrome are discussed.

3-Hydroxybutyric Acid↗

PubMed1984

Time course of the effects of trimethyltin on limbic evoked potentials and distribution of tin in blood and brain in the rat.

The averaged evoked potential technique was used to determine the sequence and relative effects of a single dose of trimethyltin (TMT) on the neurophysiologic functioning of two limbic system pathways, selected for study because they are known to show TMT-induced pathologic changes. Adult female rats were implanted with bipolar electrodes in the olfactory or prepyriform cortex (PPC), dentate gyrus (DG) and distal CA3 subfield of the hippocampus. Evoked potentials were elicited in the DG by stimulation of the PPC, and in CA3 by stimulation of the mossy fiber system which originates in dentate granule cells. TMT chloride was administered po in a single 7.5 mg/kg dose in water to 9 implanted rats. A parallel group of 6 implanted rats served as a control group. No changes in potentials were noted 24 hr after TMT, but some effects appeared at 48 hr. Amplitudes of potentials elicited in the DG were greatly potentiated between 2-7 days after TMT with peak effects between 4-6 days, followed by a marked decline in amplitude of the response. At the same time, recordings of spontaneous electrical activity did not reveal marked abnormalities such as electrographic seizure waves. Amplitude of the CA3 response began to decline 3 days after TMT and by 3 weeks was markedly depressed. Average amplitudes of the same responses in the control group remained within 12 percent of pretreatment values for the 20 days of the study. Tin levels in whole brain were lowest at 24 hr, doubled at 48 hr, then doubled again at 4 days when peak levels were reached. Values remained high in both blood and brain and at 20 days were still 66 percent of peak levels. Thus, the delay in onset of effects of TMT on evoked potentials may be related to the slow entry of tin into brain, presumably because of high affinity binding to hemoglobin in blood, as reported by others. Also, the time of peak potentiating effects on potentials evoked in the DG correlated well with the time of peak levels of tin in brain.

Animals↗

PubMed1988

Reversal of a trimethyltin-induced learning deficit by desglycinamide-8-arginine vasopressin.

Trimethyltin (TMT) is an organometal neurotoxin which produces lesions primarily in the limbic system. Selectivity seems to depend upon the dose, but the hippocampus and related entorhinal cortical structures, of importance for learning and memory, are most often described as target sites. We have previously demonstrated that subjects treated with a moderate dose of TMT prior to acquisition sessions, are unable to learn a forward autoshaping task with a 6 sec delay of reinforcement, but are capable of acquiring the same task when no delay of reinforcement is used. These data suggested that the performance deficit is one of learning (i.e. consolidation) rather than of memory (i.e. storage), retrieval, or sensorimotor impairment. To more rigorously test this hypothesis, we determined if performance of a task already learned would be impaired by the neurotoxin. Adult male Long Evans rats were given 10 acquisition sessions of 24 trials, following which TMT (6.0 mg/kg, p.o.) was administered. One month later, these rats performed the lever-touching behavior as well as controls, despite the fact that the same dose of TMT interfered with learning if given one month prior to acquisition sessions, thus confirming our hypothesis. In a second experiment we determined if the peptide analog of vasopressin, desglycinamide-8-arginine vasopressin (DGAVP), could reverse a learning deficit in a population of non-learners. Rats were treated with TMT or water vehicle one month prior to autoshaping. TMT significantly retarded acquisition. After 10 sessions of 12 trials each, non-learners (i.e. rats treated with TMT that failed to associate the lever with delivery of a reinforcer) were administered saline or DGAVP (7.5 micrograms/kg, s.c.) 1 hr before sessions 11-13; treatment was discontinued prior to sessions 14 and 15. Peptide treated subjects showed evidence of acquisition and exhibited higher levels of lever-directed behavior than saline treated nonlearners. Performance was maintained after DGAVP treatment was discontinued, indicating that the learning-enhancing action of DGAVP was not transient or state-dependent.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Inhibition of gamma-[3H]aminobutyric acid uptake by organotin compounds in vitro.

Trimethyltin, its tetra-, di-, and monomethyl analogs, inorganic tin (Sn II and Sn IV), triethyltin, tripropyltin, tributyltin, and triphenyltin were tested for their ability in inhibiting the uptake of gamma-[3H]aminobutyric acid (GABA) into mouse forebrain synaptosomes in vitro. All organotins containing three carbon-tin bonds were potent inhibitors of [3H]GABA uptake with IC50 values ranging from 10(-4) to 10(-6) M. Various thiol and sulfur compounds, particularly sodium sulfide, were capable of antagonizing the inhibitory effect of triphenyltin and, to a minor extent, of other organotins. All triorganotins also inhibited Na+,K+-ATPase, measured by binding of [3H]ouabain and by hydrolysis of ATP. Although a correlation between inhibition of ouabain binding and GABA uptake by organotins could be found, inhibition of [3H]GABA uptake by the specific inhibitors ouabain and strophantidin was qualitatively and quantitatively different from organotins. These results suggest that all triorganotins are capable of inhibiting synaptosomal [3H]GABA uptake in vitro by a mechanism involving, but not exclusively, inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase. The role of [3H]GABA uptake inhibition in the neurotoxicity of organotins remains to be determined.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗