Mechanisms of Phosphine Toxicity

Overview

Journal J Toxicol

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Toxicology

Date 2011 Jul 22

PMID 21776261

Citations 40

Authors

Nisa S Nath

Ishita Bhattacharya

Andrew G Tuck

David I Schlipalius

Paul R Ebert

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Fumigation with phosphine gas is by far the most widely used treatment for the protection of stored grain against insect pests. The development of high-level resistance in insects now threatens its continued use. As there is no suitable chemical to replace phosphine, it is essential to understand the mechanisms of phosphine toxicity to increase the effectiveness of resistance management. Because phosphine is such a simple molecule (PH(3)), the chemistry of phosphorus is central to its toxicity. The elements above and below phosphorus in the periodic table are nitrogen (N) and arsenic (As), which also produce toxic hydrides, namely, NH(3) and AsH(3). The three hydrides cause related symptoms and similar changes to cellular and organismal physiology, including disruption of the sympathetic nervous system, suppressed energy metabolism and toxic changes to the redox state of the cell. We propose that these three effects are interdependent contributors to phosphine toxicity.

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