Effect of mosquito mats (pyrethroid-based) vapor inhalation on rat brain cytochrome P450s

The effect of transfluthrin (TF) or D-allethrin (DA) pyrethroid (PYR) vapors, often contained as main ingredients in two commercially available mosquito repellent mats, on cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes of rat brain and liver was assessed. Immunodetection of CYP2E1 and CYP3A2 proteins revealed their induction in cerebrum and cerebellum, but not in liver microsomes of rats exposed by inhalation to TF or DA. This overexpression of proteins correlated with an increase of their catalytic activities. The specifically increased expression of CYP isoenzymes, due to PYR exposure in the rat brain, could perturb the normal metabolism of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds and leads to increased risks of neurotoxicity by bioactivation, lipid peroxidation and DNA damage.