skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Physostigmine (alone and together with adjunct) pretreatment against soman, sarin, tabun and vx intoxication. (Reannouncement with new availability information)

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:166862

A pretreatment for organophosphorus (OP) anticholinesterase (e. g. , soman) intoxication should prevent lethality and convulsions (CNV) at 2 LD50s and be behavioral-decrement-free when given alone. Behavioral-deficit-free pretreatment regimens (PRGs) for guinea pigs consisted of Physostigmine (0.15 mg/kg, im) and adjunct. Adjuncts MG/KG, IM tested were akineton 0.25, aprophen 8, trihexyphenidyl 2, atropine 16, azaprophen 51, BENACTYZINE 1.25, cogentin 4, dextromethorphan 7.5, ethopropazine 12, kemadrin 11, MEMANTINE 5, promethazine 5, scopolamine 0.081 AND CONTROL 2. PRGs were given 30 min before soman (60 ug/kg, sc; 2 LD50S) or other OP agents. Animals were then observed and graded for signs of intoxication, including CNV at 7 time points and at 24 hr. Physostigmine alone reduced the incidence of CNV and lethality induced by 2 LD50s of soman by 42 and 60%, respectively. All of the PRGs tested abolished lethality and 12 shortened recovery time to 2 hr or less. Also, PRGs including azaprophen or atropine prevented CNV. When selected PRGs were tested against intoxication by sarin, tabun or VX, the efficacy was generally superior to that for soman. The data show that several PRGs are effective against soman intoxication in guinea pigs. Pretreatment, physostigmine, anticholinesterases, soman (GD).

Research Organization:
Army Medical Research Inst. of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (United States)
OSTI ID:
166862
Report Number(s):
AD-A-250682/2/XAB; USAMRICD-P-89-001; TRN: 53520623
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 1991
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English