Effect of lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) on carbohydrate and lipid reserves in the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana L

The effects of lindane on carbohydrate and lipid reserves of Periplaneta americana were studied in adult male insects. Topical application of lindane resulted in depleted levels of glycogen in the fat body (90% depletion) and thoracic musculature (57% depletion) and a 55% decrease in hemolymph trehalose (anthrone-positive material) by the prostration stage of poisoning. By contrast, lindane caused a 42% elevation of fat-body acylglycerol reserves and an associated 60% decrease of hemolymph free fatty acid levels. The lindane effects on carbohydrate and lipid were expressed also in head-ligated insects, thereby indicating that the results are not attributable solely to the action of lindane on the corpus cardiacum. The results are discussed in light of the proposal that lindane, and some other insecticides, cause indiscriminate release of neuroactive factors from the neuroendocrine system and that the consequent perturbation of physiological balance may contribute to the lethal action of the insecticide.