B. S. Ajilore¹, A. E. Adewuyi², T. O. Oluwadairo²

¹Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria;
e-mail: doctorajibam@yahoo.com;
²Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Basic and Applied Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Osun State University, Osogbo, Nigeria

This study investigated possible use of gentamicin and magnesium chloride as antidotes of dichlorvos pesticide poisoning. Thirty albino rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 6). Group 1 served as negative control and received distilled water only. Group 2 served as positive control and was treated with 2.5 mg/kg body weight dichlorvos intraperitoneally. Group 3 was post-treated with 0.5 mg atropine following intraperitoneal 2.5 mg/kg dichlorvos while groups 4 and 5 rat were post-treated with 28 mg/kg intramuscular magnesium chloride and 5 mg/kg intramuscular gentamicin respectively following intraperitoneal 2.5 mg/kg dichlorvos. Plasma and red blood cell acetylcholinesterase activities were estimated. Total ATPase, Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, Ca²⁺-ATPase, and Mg²⁺-ATPase activities were estimated in the brain. Results showed significant (P < 0.05) increase in acetylcholinesterase activities in rats post treated with Atropine, MgCl₂ and Gentamicin when compared with acetylcholinesterase activities in rats treated with dichlorvos only. There is significant (P < 0.05) increase in the activities of Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺-ATPases, Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and total ATPase activities in the brain of rats post treated with atropine, magnesium chloride and gentamicin. Dichlorvos significantly (P < 0.05) reduced plasma and red blood cell cholinesterase activities, and brain ATPases activities. We concluded that dichlorvos toxicity inhibited cholinesterase, Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and Ca²⁺,Mg²⁺-ATPases activities. Magnesium chloride and gentamicin on the other hand reduced effects of dichlorvos poisoning by promoting normal ATPase activities and inhibiting release of acetylcholine from cell. We proposed that both magnesium chloride and gentamicin can be co-administered in future as antidotes to patients with dichlorvos poisoning.