Role of aliesterase in organophosphate poisoning

Various doses of CBDP (2-(2-methylphenoxy)-4H-1,3,2-benzodioxaphosphorin-2-oxide), a metabolite of tri-o-cresyl phosphate, increased dramatically the acute toxicity of soman (pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate) in mice. CBDP (5 mg/kg; iv) reduced the soman LD50 value from 136 μg/kg in control to 6.95 μg/kg. The potentiation of soman toxicity following CBDP pretreatment appeared to be due primarily to inhibition of plasma aliesterase activity. Inhibition of liver aliesterase was not of primary importance in the potentiation of soman toxicity following CBDP pretreatment. In addition pretreatment with ISO-OMPA (tetraisopropyl pyrophosphoramide), a selective inhibitor of pseudocholinesterase, had no effect on the acute toxicity of soman. Similarly pretreatment of mice with pyridostigmine, a quaternary carbamate anticholinesterase which does not inhibit aliesterase, resulted in marked inhibition of diaphragm, plasma, and brain acetylcholinesterase had no effect on the acute toxicity of soman. Plasma aliesterase may be a depot for soman poisoning. The acute toxicity of soman by the ip, sc, and iv routes of administration was reduced following pretreatment of mice with phenobarbital (100 mg/kg) for 4 days. The reduced toxicity of soman following phenobarbital pretreatment was due to induction of liver aliesterase activity which subsequently resulted in an increase in plasma aliesterase activity. Thus more soman was probably bound to plasma aliesterase activity resulting in a reduction in acute toxicity of soman.Conversely pretreatment of mice with pentobarbital (70 mg/kg; ip) increased the toxicity of soman. This was probably the result of inhibition of plasma aliesterase by pentobarbital pretreatment combined with the central respiratory depression following pentobarbital administration. Following pentobarbital pretreatment soman inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase was increased suggesting that plasma aliesterase inhibition alters the distribution of free soman in vivo. In summary, in mice plasma aliesterase appears to be an extremely important detoxification route for soman in vivo.