Fenpropathrin, or fenopropathrin, is a widely used
pyrethroid
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (''Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium'' and ''Chrysanthemum coccineum, C. coccineum''). Pyrethroids are used as commercial and hou ...
insecticide
Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed to b ...
in
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
and household.
Fenpropathrin is an ingestion and contact synthetic pyrethroid. Its mode of action is similar to other natural (
pyrethrum
''Pyrethrum'' was a genus of several Old World plants now classified as ''Chrysanthemum'' or ''Tanacetum'' which are cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads. Pyrethrum continues to be used as a common name for plants formerly inclu ...
) and
synthetic pyrethroids where in they interfere with the kinetics of voltage gated sodium channels causing paralysis and death of the pest.
Fenpropathrin was the first of the light-stable synthetic pyrethroids to be synthesized in 1971, but it was not commercialized until 1980. Like other pyrethroids with an α-cyano group, fenpropathrin also belongs to the termed type II
pyrethroids
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (''Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium'' and '' C. coccineum''). Pyrethroids are used as commercial and household insecticides.
In ...
(e.g.
cyfluthrin
Cyfluthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide and common household pesticide. It is a complex organic compound and the commercial product is sold as a mixture of isomers. Like most pyrethroids (MoA 3a), it is highly toxic to fish and invertebrates, but ...
,
cyhalothrin
Cyhalothrin is the ISO common name for an organic compound that, in specific isomeric forms, is used as a pesticide.
It is a pyrethroid, a class of synthetic insecticides that mimic the structure and properties of the naturally occurring insectici ...
,
cypermethrin
Cypermethrin (CP) is a synthetic pyrethroid used as an insecticide in large-scale commercial agricultural applications as well as in consumer products for domestic purposes. It behaves as a fast-acting neurotoxin in insects. It is easily degraded ...
,
deltamethrin
Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid ester insecticide. Deltamethrin plays a key role in controlling malaria vectors, and is used in the manufacture of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets; however, resistance of mosquitos and bed bugs to deltamethrin ...
and
esfenvalerate
Esfenvalerate is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide marketed under the brand Asana. It is the (''S'')-enantiomer of fenvalerate
Fenvalerate is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide. It is a mixture of four optical isomers which have different in ...
).
Type II pyrethroids are a more potent toxicant than type I in depolarizing insect nerves. Application rates of fenpropathrin in agriculture according to US environmental protection agency (EPA) varies by crop but is not to exceed 0.4 lb a
acre
Toxicity
A person developed
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
after six months of daily exposure to fenpropathrin, and animal tests subsequently revealed that the compound is a
dopaminergic
Dopaminergic means "related to dopamine" (literally, "working on dopamine"), dopamine being a common neurotransmitter. Dopaminergic substances or actions increase dopamine-related activity in the brain. Dopaminergic brain pathways facilitate d ...
neurotoxin
Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature ner ...
.
The patient had a history of eating fenpropathrin-poisoned fish for 6 months.
The follow up
Dopaminergic
Dopaminergic means "related to dopamine" (literally, "working on dopamine"), dopamine being a common neurotransmitter. Dopaminergic substances or actions increase dopamine-related activity in the brain. Dopaminergic brain pathways facilitate d ...
degeneration study was conducted using mice treated with fenpropathrin at 15mg/kg/day for 60 days.
It has thus been implicated as an environmental risk factor for Parkinson's disease
similar to
organochlorines
An organochloride, organochlorine compound, chlorocarbon, or chlorinated hydrocarbon is an organic compound containing at least one covalently bonded atom of chlorine. The chloroalkane class (alkanes with one or more hydrogens substituted by chlor ...
,
organophosphates
In organic chemistry, organophosphates (also known as phosphate esters, or OPEs) are a class of organophosphorus compounds with the general structure , a central phosphate molecule with alkyl or aromatic substituents. They can be considered ...
and
pyrethroids
A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (''Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium'' and '' C. coccineum''). Pyrethroids are used as commercial and household insecticides.
In ...
especially at higher doses.
An acute reference dose for chronic dietary exposure for fenpropathrin is set at 0.025/mg/kg/day by U
EPA Fenpropathrin is toxic to bees if they come in contact with them directly similar to other
insecticides
Insecticides are substances used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and by consumers. Insecticides are claimed to b ...
. Toxicity dissipates with time when deposited o
foliageand is <2
hours
Environmental Fate
Fenpropathrin degrades from soil by two main mechanisms, biodegradation and photochemical degradation of surface deposits.
The time of degradation depends on the characteristics of the soils.
The half-life of disappearance for fenpropathrin in soils was 11 to 17 days under aerobic conditions and approx >1 yr under anaerobic conditions. The half-life of fenpropathrin on the surface of a sterilized sandy loam was in the range of 3 to 4 days following irradiation with natura
sunlight
Trade Names
Danitol, Meothrin, Tame.
See also
*
6-Hydroxydopamine
Oxidopamine, also known as 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenethylamine, is a neurotoxic synthetic organic compound used by researchers to selectively destroy dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons in the brain.
The main use for o ...
*
MPTP
MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) is a prodrug to the neurotoxin MPP+, which causes permanent symptoms of Parkinson's disease by destroying dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the brain. It has been used to study d ...
*
Norsalsolinol
Norsalsolinol is a chemical compound that is produced naturally in the body through metabolism of dopamine. It has been shown to be a selective dopaminergic neurotoxin, and has been suggested as a possible cause of neurodegenerative conditions suc ...
*
Rotenone
Rotenone is an odorless, colorless, crystalline isoflavone used as a broad-spectrum insecticide, piscicide, and pesticide. It occurs naturally in the seeds and stems of several plants, such as the jicama vine plant, and the roots of several member ...
References
Neurotoxins
(cyano-(3-phenoxyphenyl)methyl) 2,2,3-trimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylates
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