Effect of anticholinesterase agents on airway epithelial function. Annual report, 15 July 1986-14 July 1987

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6835411

Marin, M G

Irreversible anticholinesterase compounds have potential serious deleterious health effects when employed as chemical warfare agents. Intoxication with these agents causes an accumulation of acetylcholine at nerve muscle and nerve gland junctions. Because tracheal submucosal glands have rich cholinergic innervation, we hypothesized that exposure to anticholinesterase agents, such as soman, would stimulate glandular secretion. This would cause pathological changes in the important lung defense mechanism of mucociliary clearance. Despite the potential importance of anticholinesterase agents on lung function, little information was available concerning the effects of these agents on mucociliary transport. During the past year, studies were completed designed to determine the effect of soman and its antidotes on mucociliary transport. Mucociliary transport was measured on radiopertechnetate-tagged microaggregated albumin in anesthetized ferrets, utilizing two sodium-iodized crystals, collimated to detect the rate of tracheal movement over a 19-mm length of airway. In experimental animals, the author injected intravenously either soman or soman plus an antidote or an antidote alone, between the two periods. Soman resulted in a significant dose-related increase in mucociliary transport relative to control. Neither atropine nor pralidoxime alone had a significant effect on transport rate. While atropine injected simultaneously with soman blocked the stimulatory effects of soman on transport, pralidoxime failed to alter this increase in transport. Studies performed were also to determine the effect of soman and its antidotes on submucosal glandular secretion in vivo.

• Research Organization: Rochester Univ., NY (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6835411
• Report Number(s): AD-A-194715/9/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550900 -- Pathology
560300* -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ACETYLCHOLINE
ALKALOIDS
AMINES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ATROPINE
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARBOXYLESTERASES
CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS
CHOLINESTERASE
CLEARANCE
DISEASES
DOCUMENT TYPES
DRUGS
ENZYMES
ESTERASES
ESTERS
EXCRETION
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROLASES
IMMUNOSUPPRESSION
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IRREVERSIBLE PROCESSES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
LABORATORY ANIMALS
LUNG CLEARANCE
MEMBRANES
MUCOUS MEMBRANES
NEUROREGULATORS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARASYMPATHOLYTICS
PARASYMPATHOMIMETICS
PATHOLOGY
PROGRESS REPORT
QUATERNARY COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
TRACER TECHNIQUES
WEAPONS
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES