Docking and molecular dynamics studies of peripheral site ligand–oximes as reactivators of sarin-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase

In the present work, we performed docking and molecular dynamics simulations studies on two groups of long-tailored oximes designed as peripheral site binders of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and potential penetrators on the blood brain barrier. Our studies permitted to determine how the tails anchor in the peripheral site of sarin-inhibited human...

Comprehensive gas chromatography with Time of Flight MS and large volume introduction for the detection of fluoride-induced regenerated nerve agent in biological samples

Recently, several methods have been developed to verify exposure to nerve agents. Most of these methods, such as the fluoride reactivation technique and the analysis of inhibited phosphonylated butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), are based on mass spectrometry. The high specificity of the mass spectrometer might also imply a disadvantage, because the...

Activity-based protein profiling reveals broad reactivity of the nerve agent sarin

Elucidation of noncholinesterase protein targets of organophosphates, and nerve agents in particular, may reveal additional mechanisms for their high toxicity as well as clues for novel therapeutic approaches toward intoxications with these agents. Within this framework, we here describe the synthesis of the activity-based probe 3, which...

Improvements of the fluoride reactivation method for the verification of nerve agent exposure

One of the most appropriate biomarkers for the verification of organophosphorus nerve agent exposure is the conjugate of the nerve agent to butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). The phosphyl moiety of the nerve agent can be released from the BuChE enzyme by incubation with fluoride ions, after which the resulting organophosphonofluoridate can be...

Low levels of sarin affect the EEG in marmoset monkeys: A pilot study

The main purpose of this pilot study was to estimate the lowest observable adverse effect level (LOAEL) for the electroencephalogram (EEG) upon long-term, low-level exposure of vehicle-pretreated and pyridostigmine-pretreated marmoset monkeys to sarin vapour. This is the C·t value (t = 5 h) of exposure at which the EEG becomes significantly...

Low-level exposure of guinea pigs and marmosets to sarin vapour in air: Lowest-observable-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) for miosis

The purpose of this pilot study was to indicate, for low-level exposure of conscious guinea pigs and marmoset monkeys to sarin vapour in air, the lowest-observable-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) of sarin for miosis. This is the concentration × time (C·t) value (t = 5 h) of exposure at which miosis becomes significant. The ratio of pupil and iris...

Retrospective detection of exposure to nerve agents: Analysis of phosphofluoridates originating from fluoride-induced rectivation of phospylated BuChE

The utility was explored of a new approach to detect retrospectively exposure to nerve agents by means of conversion of the inhibitor moiety bound to the active site of the enzyme BuChE in plasma with fluoride ions into a phosphofluoridate which is subsequently analyzed by means of gas chromatography (GC). This quantifies ≥0.01% inhibition of...

Long-term, low-level exposure of guinea pigs and marmosets to sarin vapor in air: Lowest observable effect level

Realistic scenarios for low-level exposure to nerve agents will often involve exposures over several hours to extremely low doses of agent. In order to expose animals to the lowest controllable concentrations of agent and to increase exposure times until a lowest observable effect level (LOEL) becomes measurable, a validated system was developed...

Toxicokinetics of the nerve agent (±)-VX in anesthetized and atropinized hairless guinea pigs and marmosets after intravenous and percutaneous administration

In continuation of our investigations on the toxicokinetics of the volatile nerve agents C(±)P(±)-soman and (±)-sarin, we now report on the toxicokinetics of the rather nonvolatile agent (±)-VX. A validated method was developed to determine blood levels of (±)-VX by means of achiral gas chromatography at blood levels ≥10 pg/ml. The ratio of the...

Retrospective detection of exposure to organophosphorus anti-cholinesterases: Mass spectrometric analysis of phosphylated human butyrylcholinesterase

In this paper a novel and general procedure is presented for detection of organophosphate-inhibited human butyrylcholinesterase (HuBuChE), which is based on electrospray tandem mass spectrometric analysis of phosphylated nonapeptides obtained after pepsin digestion of the enzyme. The utility of this method is exemplified by the positive analysis...

Therapeutic efficacy of the adenosine A1 receptor agonist N6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA) against organophosphate intoxication

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether reduction of central acetylcholine (ACh) accumulation by adenosine receptor agonists could serve as a generic treatment against organophosphate (OP) poisoning. The OPs studied were tabun (O-ethyl-N-dimethylphosphoramidocyanidate), sarin (isopropylmethylphosphonofluoridate), VX (O...

Bioanalysis of the enantiomers of (+/-)-sarin using automated thermal cold-trap injection combined with two-dimensional gas chromatography

Intravenous and inhalation toxicokinetics of sarin stereoisomers in atropinized guinea pigs

We report the first toxicokinetic studies of (±)-sarin. The toxicokinetics of the stereoisomers of this nerve agent were studied in anesthetized, atropinized, and restrained guinea pigs after intravenous bolus administration of a dose corresponding to 0.8 LD50 and after nose-only exposure to vapor concentrations yielding 0.4 and 0.8 LCt50 in an...

Semi-continuous high speed gas analysis of generated vapors of chemical warfare agents

A method is presented for the continuous analysis of generated vapors of the nerve agents soman and satin and the blistering agent sulfur mustard. By using a gas sampling valve and a very short (15 cm) column connected to an on-column injector with a 'standard length' column, the system can either be calibrated or used for performing high speed...

Quantitative analysis of O-isopropyl methylphosphonic acid in serum samples of Japanese citizens allegedly exposed to sarin: Estimation of internal dosage

A convenient and rapid micro-anion exchange liquid chromatography (LC) tandem electrospray mass spectrometry (MS) procedure was developed for quantitative analysis in serum of O-isopropyl methylphosphonic acid (IMPA), the hydrolysis product of the nerve agent sarin. The mass spectrometric procedure involves negative or positive ion electrospray...

Capillary gas chromatographic analysis of nerve agents using large volume injections

The use of large volume injections has been studied for the verification of intact organophosphorus chemical warfare agents in water samples. As the use of ethyl acetate caused severe detection problems new potential solvents were evaluated. With the developed procedure, the nerve agents sarin, tabun, soman, DFP and VX can be determined in...