Dietary fat alteration of plasma cholinesterase response to malathion.

This study revealed the influence of organophosphate pesticides on cholinesterase levels of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Subjects were fed fat-free, normal-fat, and high-fat test diets. Sub-acute doses of malathion were given subcutaneously and cholinesterase levels were determined. Malathion was chosen because it is the least toxic of the organophosphate cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides. Stastical analysis of the data showed that malathion does inhibit blood cholinesterase to the greatest degree in normal-fat diet animals, with the least effect on high-fat groups and fat-free subjects fall in between the two groups.