Biochemical properties and possible toxicological significance of various forms of NTE

Abstract

NTE (neuropathy target esterase) is considered to be the target for organophosphorus-induced delayed polyneuropathy and is operationally measured by radiolabelling or by determining its esteratic activity as the paraoxon-resistant mipafox-sensitive phosphorylable site(s). From electrophoresis and density gradient centrifugation using radiolabelling techniques, several phosphorylable sites have been described in hen brain that are paraoxon-resistant mipafox-sensitive; however, only the majority electrophoresis band (155 kDa) shows properties related with the aging reaction. Kinetic criteria have also suggested two components of brain NTE (NTE A and NTE B). Most brain NTE is recovered in the particulate microsomal fraction and only about 1% in soluble fraction. In sciatic nerve about 50%/50% activity is recovered as soluble (S-NTE) or particulate (P-NTE) forms. A similar distribution were observed in hen, cat, rat and young chick. The fixed time inhibition curves show that P-NTE is more sensitive to mipafox, DFP and hexyl-DCP than S-NTE, while the reverse is true for methamidophos. P-NTE fits properly to one sensitive component while S-NTE fits better to two sensitive component models, except in the case of methamidophos. In vivo, significant differences in the inhibition or P- and S-NTE by mipafox were found only when using low non-neuropathic dosing. The possible significance of different NTE forms are discussed.