Organophosphate pesticide DDVP-induced alterations in the rat cerebellum and spinal cord — an electron microscopic study

DDVP is an organophosphate pesticide whose neurotoxicity, in the form of cholinesterase inhibition, is well-known. Rats, weighing 200–225 g were given intraperitoneal injections of 3 mg/kg. DDYP daily for 10 days. Following perfusion-fixation, ultrathin sections of the cerebellum and spinal cord were examined with an electron microscope. A large number of electron-dense bodies exhibiting electron-lucid vacuoles were discernible in the perikarya of cerebellar neurons. Aggregations of mitochondria were also seen. Myelin-figures in dendrites and axons of the spinal cord were detected. Evidence of oedema was evident in the spinal cord.