The Metabolism of Hexachlorocyclohexane Isomers and Related Compounds

Abstract

Pesticides and insecticides, which were originally introduced to combat the problems caused by pests and insects, are now themselves providing concern. Resistance to such foreign compounds is rapidly being achieved and as a result ever increasing quantities are having to be applied to produce the required effects. As the wide use of large quantities of an insecticide is likely to eventually prove non-beneficial in fields such as agriculture and health, pressure has been placed on biochemists and geneticists to provide explanations for the mechanisms of resistance towards insecticides. In this way it is hoped that more efficient means of insect control will be designed. In this thesis the commercial insecticide "Gammexane" or "Lindane" is studied. It is considered that the determination of the metabolic pathways of this chlorinated hydrocarbon is an important prerequisite for the elucidation of the resistant mechanism. Also it is thought that the discovery of effective synergists to the degradation of Gammexane might prove a helpful step towards the developement of an insecticide with greater specificity of action. It is hoped that the experimental work which is presented here will be a useful contribution to the solving of many problems in the fields of research mentioned above.