Organophosphates Toxicity: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment (original) (raw)

Asian Journal of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Pesticides are composed of chemicals that can be employed to kill pests or minimize their negative effects. Pesticides and other organophosphate containing compounds have been beneficial in agriculture, forestry, industries, and in households (as personal insect repellents). Chemical compounds known as organophosphates (OP) are produced when phosphoric acid and alcohol undergo esterification. Although pesticides are beneficial, they pose dangers to both humans and the environment and include the following are types of pesticides: herbicide, insecticides (which may include regulators for insect growth, termiticides), nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, antimicrobial, and fungicide. Organophosphate insecticides primarily work by inhibiting carboxyl ester hydrolases, especially acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Acetylcholine (ACh) is a neurotransmitter that is broken down by the enzyme AChE into acetic acid and choline....