Central-peripheral delayed neuropathy caused by diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP): segregation of peripheral nerve and spinal cord effects using biochemical, clinical, and morphological criteria

Systemic injection of diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP; 1 mg/kg, sc) causes delayed neuropathy in hens. This effect is associated with a high level of organophosphorylation of neuropathy target esterase (NTE) followed by an intramolecular rearrangement called "aging." Phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) also attacks the active center of NTE but "aging" cannot occur. This compound does not cause neuropathy and protects against a subsequent challenge systemic dose of DFP. Intraarterial injection of DFP (0.185 mg/kg) into only one leg of hens caused a high NTE inhibition (greater than 80%) in the sciatic nerve of the injected leg, but not in other parts of the nervous system (37% average). A unilateral neuropathy with typical histopathological lesions developed in the injected leg. PMSF (0.55 mg/kg) injected into each sciatic artery caused 47% inhibition of sciatic nerve NTE but only 17-22% inhibition of NTE elsewhere; it did not produce clinical or histopathological lesions. When these hens were challenged with DFP (1 mg/kg, sc), high inhibition of residual-free NTE (greater than 85%) occurred throughout the nervous system and clinical signs of a syndrome different from the classical delayed neuropathy developed: this spinal cord type of ataxia was associated with histopathological lesions in the spinal cord but not in peripheral nerve. PMSF (1 mg/kg) injected into only one sciatic artery caused selective protective inhibition of sciatic nerve NTE of that leg. After systemic challenge by DFP, clinical effects expressed were a combination of spinal cord ataxia plus unilateral peripheral neuropathy. The challenge dose of DFP (1 mg/kg, sc) was insufficient to produce clear histopathological lesions in unprotected peripheral nerves although spinal lesions were found in these hens. Thus clinical evaluation of the peripheral nervous system by means of walking tests and a simple test of "leg retraction" reflexes was more sensitive and specific in diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy than was the histopathology.