Pyrethroid insecticides may be classified into two groups: type I pyrethroids lack a cyano group in the alpha-position, whereas type II pyrethroids have a cyano group. Both types prolong the sodium channel current thereby causing hyperexcitability, yet details of modulation of current kinetics remain largely to be seen. The mechanism of pyrethroid modulation of sodium currents was studied by th...

In both tetrodotoxin-resistant (TTX-R) and tetrodotoxin-sensitive (TTX-S) sodium channels, deltamethrin greatly prolonged the current during step depolarizing pulse and caused a large and prolonged slow tail current. The activation was shifted by 20 mV in the hyperpolarizing direction. These changes in channel kinetics account for the prolongation of action potential, membrane depolarization an...