Structural requirements of organophosphorus insecticides (OPI) to inhibit chicken yolk sac membrane kynurenine formamidase related to OPI teratogenesis.

This paper provides new information related to the mechanism of OPI (organophosphorus insecticides) teratogenesis. The COMFA (comparative molecular field analysis) and COMSIA (comparative molecular similarity indices analysis) suggest that the electrostatic and steric fields are the best predictors of OPI structural requirements to inhibit in ovo chicken embryo yolk sac membrane kynurenine formamidase, the proposed target for OPI teratogens. The dominant electrostatic interactions are localized at nitrogen-1, nitrogen-3, nitrogen of 2-amino substituent of the pyrimidinyl of pyrimidinyl phosphorothioates, and the oxygen of crotonamide carbonyl in crotonamide phosphates. Bulkiness of the substituents at carbon-2 and carbon-6 of the pyrimidinyls and/or N-substituents and carbon-3 substituents of crotonamides are the steric structural components that contribute to superiority of those OPI as in ovo inhibitors of kynurenine formamidase.