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Bis-quaternary oximes amplify the effectiveness of acetylcholinesterase to detoxify organophosphorus compounds

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7300656

Pretreatment of rhesus monkeys with fetal bovine serum acetylcholinesterase (FBS AChE) provides complete protection against 5 LD(50), of organophosphate (OP) without any signs of toxicity or performance decrements as measured by serial probe recognition tests or primate equilibrium platform performance (7,8). Although such use of enzyme as a single pretreatment drug for OP toxicity is sufficient to provide complete protection, a relatively large (stoichiometric) amount of enzyme was required in vivo to neutralize OP. To improve the efficacy of ChEs as pretreatment drugs, we have developed an approach in which the catalytic activity of OP-inhibited FBS AChE was rapidly and continuously restored, thus detoxifying the OP and minimizing enzyme aging by having sufficient amounts of appropriate oxime present. The efficacy of FBS AChE to detoxify several OPs was amplified by addition of bisquaternary oximes, particularly HI-6. When mice were pretreated with sufficient amounts of FBS AChE and HI-6 and challenged with repeated doses of sarin, the OP was continuously detoxified so long as the molar concentration of the sarin dose was less than the molar concentration of AChE in circulation. The in vitro experiments showed that the stoichiometry of sarin:FBS AChE was higher than 3200:1 and in vivo stoichiometry with mice was as high as 57:1. Addition of HI-6 to FBS AChE as a pretreatment drug amplified the efficacy of enzyme as a scavenger of nerve agents.

Research Organization:
Walter Reed Army Inst. of Research, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Biochemistry
OSTI ID:
7300656
Report Number(s):
AD-P-008860/9/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English