EFFECT OF PRETREATMENT WITH CBDP ON THE TOXICOKINETICS OF SOMAN STEREOISOMERS IN RATS AND GUINEA-PIGS

Pretreatment of rats and guinea pigs with the specific carboxylesterase inhibitor 2-(o-cresyl)4H-1:3: 2-benzodioxaphasphorin-2-oxide (CBDP) reduces the LD(50) of the nerve agent C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman in these species to the same range as in primates. This suggests that such CBDP-pretreated animals can be used in investigations that are relevant for prophylaxis and therapy of intoxication with C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman in primates including humans. In order to test this hypothesis we have studied the toxicokinetics of the toxic C(+/-)P(-)-isomers of soman in artificially respirated and CBDP-pretreated rats and guinea pigs at intravenous doses corresponding to 6 x LD(50). A comparison of the areas under the curve (AUCs) of the blood levels of C(+/-)P(-)-soman in pretreated and non-pretreated animals at the same absolute dose shows extreme nonlinearity with dose, indicating that CBDP occupies highly reactive binding sites which are no longer available for sequestration of the soman isomers. The AUCs of C(+/-)P(-)-soman at equitoxic doses of 6 x LD(50) are reduced by pretreatment with CBDP from 1683 to 464 ng.min.ml(-1) in rats and from 978 to 176 ng.min.ml(-1) in guinea pigs, which is in the range of the AUC in non-pretreated marmosets at an equitoxic dose (419 ng.min/ml(-1)). The blood levels of the C(+/-)P(-)-isomers in marmosets and CBDP rats are rather similar during the first 7 min, but persist in CBDP rats for 2 h longer at toxicologically relevant levels than in marmosets. The levels of C(+/-)P(-)-soman in CBDP-pretreated guinea pigs are substantially lower than in marmosets for an initial period of 80 min. Nevertheless, they drop below toxicologically relevant levels approximately 50 min later than in marmosets. Evidently, one should be cautious in considering CBDP, pretreated rats and guinea pigs as substitute primates.