ACCUMULATION OF ORGANOPHOSPHATE PESTICIDES IN PORCINE TISSUE OF PIGS RAISED IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA: ANALYSIS BY MALDI-TOF-MS

Abstract

The incidence rate of diabetes and obesity is increasing each year, as well as organophosphate pesticides (OPs) in the United States. OPs are toxic and can cause numerous acute effects, but the long-term chronic exposure to OPs has not been investigated. Therefore, the goal of this project is to determine if common OPs utilized in eastern North Carolina (ENC), as well as their common metabolites, accumulate in the kidneys of pigs, and therefore, accumulate in humans. This study is important because it is the first step in analyzing the correlation between Type II Diabetes and OP exposure in eastern NC. Porcine kidneys were analyzed using MALDI-TOF-MS in CHCA positive ion mode, CHCA negative ion mode, and DHB negative ion mode to determine OP and metabolite identities. In all three modes, key differential m/z peaks were determined to fall within the targeted m/z range of approximately 130-380 Da. More specifically, key m/z peak values corresponded to the molecular weights of targeted OPs coumaphos, diazinon, and malathion (raw m/z values of 350.5, 363, and 330.6 Da, respectively). Therefore, this preliminary data suggests that OPs could be present in the porcine tissues and potentially accumulate in humans to manifest as Type II Diabetes.