Bensultap decreases neuronal excitability in molluscan and mammalian central nervous system

Electrophysiological experiments were performed on in vitro neuronal preparations from terrestrial snail and rat brain slices, to determine the effect of the insecticide bensultap. Although bensultap has low toxicity in mammals, our results showed that bensultap altered the synaptic transmission in the vertebrate as well as in the invertebrate central nervous system. Bensultap caused a significant decrease of the ACh-induced current. The effect depended on the preapplication time and the concentration of the chemical. Bensultap also had an effect on the kinetic parameters of the ACh-induced current; the desensitization time was altered in a concentration-dependent manner. In the rat brain slice preparations, we observed an increase in the amplitude of the evoked responses after a 30 min treatment. There was no effect on paired-pulse depression, but LTP-induction was significantly inhibited by bensultap. The efficacy of synaptic transmission was modified by bensultap through effects on both input integration and output organization.