In vitro effects of the organophosphorus pesticide malathion on the reactivity of rat aorta.

There is a remarkable paucity of studies analyzing the role of the endothelium-derived relaxing factors on the vascular effects of organophosphates. This study was carried out to evaluate the vascular effects of malathion and the role of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2). Vascular reactivity measuring isometric forces in vitro ('organ chambers') and flow cytometry (cells loaded with DAF-FM DA) were used. In rat thoracic aorta segments contracted with phenylephrine (Phe) (10(-7) mol/l), malathion (10(-10) to 10(-5) mol/l) induced concentration-dependent relaxation in arteries with intact endothelium (n = 7; p < 0.05). Malathion-mediated relaxation was blocked by N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10(-4) mol/l), a nonspecific NO synthase inhibitor, and/or indomethacin (10(-5) mol/l), a nonspecific cyclooxygenase inhibitor (n = 10, p < 0.05). In thoracic aorta rings, with and without endothelium, Phe (10(-10) to 10(-5) mol/l) evoked concentration-dependent contraction, which was reduced in the presence of malathion. In rings with or without endothelium, incubated with malathion, L-NAME and indomethacin, the Phe-induced contraction was restored. The role of NO was confirmed using flow cytometry. Malathion evokes endothelium-dependent relaxation through the M1 muscarinic receptor, since this relaxation was clearly blocked by atropine (M1 and M2 blocker) and pirenzepine (M1 blocker), but was less blocked by gallamine (M2 blocker) or 4-DAMP (M3 blocker). These findings suggest that the organophosphate compound effects on vascular reactivity depend of NO and PGI2.