Toxicokinetics of the four stereoisomers of the nerve agent soman in atropinized rats--influence of a soman simulator.

The toxicokinetics of the four stereoisomers of C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman were investigated in anesthetized, atropinized, and artificially ventilated rats at iv doses of 6 (495 micrograms/kg) and 3 LD50. By integration of a thermodesorption/cold trap injector into our GLC analysis, the soman stereoisomers could be followed in rat blood down to a minimum detectable concentration, i.e., 1.5 pg/ml (8.3 pM), 55-fold lower than that published previously. This new detection limit is probably near or below the minimum concentration relevant for survival. Whereas C(+)P(+)-soman disappears in vivo from rat blood within 0.25 min, the toxicokinetics of C(-)P(+)-soman could be described by a two-compartment model, with a biological half-life of 1-1.5 min. The extremely toxic C(+/-)P(-)-isomers could be followed in rat blood for greater than 4 and 2 hr at doses of 6 and 3 LD50, respectively. The toxicokinetics of the P(-)-isomers are best described with a three-compartment model, with terminal half-lives of 40-64 and 16-22 min at doses of 6 and 3 LD50, respectively. Administration of a 13.6-fold molar excess of the soman simulator 1,2,2-trimethylpropyl dimethylphosphinate (PDP) 10 min prior to administration of 6 LD50 of C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman reduces the terminal half-lives of the C(+/-)P(-)-isomers to the values measured at the dose of 3 LD50 without PDP pretreatment. Previous investigations showed that, without PDP pretreatment, rats suffer from endogenous reintoxication 4-6 hr after initially successful therapy, at C(+/-)P(+/)-soman doses greater than or equal to 6 LD50. Both this reintoxication phenomenon due to the presence of toxicologically significant C(+/-)P(-)-soman levels up to 4 hr after intoxication and its antagonism via PDP pretreatment can be understood on the basis of our toxicokinetic measurements. This shows that such investigations can contribute to insight into the toxicology of C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman and to a better treatment of intoxications with this agent.

Assay of the chiral organophosphate, soman, in biological samples.

The anticholinesterase, soman, (CH3)3CC(H)CH3O(CH3)P(O)F, consists of four stereoisomers assigned as C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman in which C stands for chirality in the pinacolyl moiety and P for chirality at phosphorus. The four stereoisomers are separated by gas chromatography on an optically active Chirasil-Val column, synthesized and coated in house, or on a Chirasil-Val column identical with the commercially available column when combined with a Carbowax 20M column. This method in combination with an assay based on acetylcholinesterase inhibition shows that the two isomers which do not have anticholinesterase activity, i.e. C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman, are rapidly degraded in rat blood due to hydrolysis by phosphorylphosphatases. Epimeric soman isomers, e.g. C(+/-)P(-)-soman, can be separately assayed on a Carbowax or a CPSil 8 column, using 2H-labeled soman isomers as internal standards. 2H-labeled soman stereoisomers serve as internal standards in GC-assay of all four stereoisomers on Chirasil-Val. For work-up of the four stereoisomers from rat blood the sample is first stabilized by acidification to pH 4.2 at 0 degree C to suppress hydrolysis by phosphorylphosphatases, addition of aluminum ions for complexation of fluoride ions to prevent regeneration of C(+/-)P(-)-soman by free fluoride ions from soman-inhibited carboxylesterase, and addition of (CH3)3CCH2O(CH3)P(O)F to occupy covalent binding sites for C(+/-)P(-)-soman, before extraction with a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and elution with ethyl acetate. Using a splitless or on-column injection technique and alkali flame ionization detection, the minimum detectable concentration is 30 pg/3-ml blood sample.

Stabilization and gas chromatographic analysis of the four stereoisomers of 1,2,2-trimethylpropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (soman) in rat blood.

A method for the stabilization and gas chromatographic analysis of the four stereoisomers of C(+/-)P(+/-)-1,2,2-trimethylpropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman) in rat blood samples is described. Satisfactory stabilization of all four stereoisomers is obtained by (i) acidification of the blood sample to pH 4.2 at 0 degrees C, to stabilize the C(+/-)P(+) isomers, (ii) addition of aluminum ions (2.5 mM) for complexation of fluoride ions, which prevents regeneration of C(+/-)P(-)-soman by free fluoride ions from soman-inhibited aliesterase, and (iii) addition of 2,2-dimethylpropyl methylphosphonofluoridate in order to occupy covalent binding sites for C(+/-)P(-)-soman. The stereoisomers of soman and internal standard are extracted from the blood-stabilizing buffer mixture with a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge and are subsequently eluted with ethyl acetate with overall extraction recoveries of 52 +/- 8%. The four soman stereoisomers are resolved and analyzed on a wide-bore capillary Chirasil Val column, synthesized, and coated in house, which also resolves the internal standard C(+/-)P(+/-)-1,2,2-[U-2H]trimethylpropyl methylphosphonofluoridate from C(+/-)P(+/-)-soman. Alternatively, the gas chromatographic analysis can be performed on a wide-bore capillary Chirasil Val column, identical with the commercially available Chirasil Val column, when combined in series with a Carbowax 20M column. This system resolves the four stereoisomers of soman and the internal standard C(-)P(+)-1,2,2-trimethylpropyl [U-2H]methylphosphonofluoridate. Using an alkali flame ionization detector, the detection limit of our procedure is ca. 250 pg soman isomer/blood sample.