The effects of blood flow and detoxification on in vivo cholinesterase inhibition by soman in rats.

The in vivo time course of cholinesterase inhibition was measured in brain, lung, spleen, hind limb skeletal muscle, diaphragm, intestine, kidney, heart, liver, and plasma of rats receiving 90 micrograms/kg soman, im. This dose of soman produced severe respiratory depression and transient hypertension, but no significant changes in the cardiac output or heart rate of anesthetized rats. The rate and maximal extent of in vivo cholinesterase inhibition by soman varied widely among the tissues. Although cardiac output was unchanged by soman administration, the blood flow in heart, brain, and lung (bronchial arterial flow and arteriovenous shunts) was increased, whereas blood flow in spleen, kidney, and skeletal muscle was decreased. The relative importance of tissue blood flow, tissue levels of cholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase, and tissue levels of soman-detoxifying enzymes (diisopropyl-fluorophosphatase and carboxylesterase) in determining the in vivo rate and maximal extent of cholinesterase inhibition was examined by multiple regression analysis. The best multiple regression model for the maximal extent of cholinesterase inhibition could explain only 63% of the observed variation. The best multiple regression model for the in vivo rate of cholinesterase inhibition contained three independent variables (blood flow, carboxylesterase, and cholinesterase) and could account for 94% of the observed variation. Of these three variables blood flow was the most important, accounting for 79% of the variation in the in vivo rate of cholinesterase inhibition. This suggests that it may be possible to use a flow-limited physiological pharmacokinetic model to describe the kinetics of in vivo cholinesterase inhibition by soman.

Studies of cyanide poisoning.

The use of amyl nitrite and phenoxybenzamine in the treatment of acute cyanide poisoning was evaluated. Sixty anesthetized beagle dogs were injected i.v. with sodium cyanide (2.5 mg/kg) and were followed for changes in the heart rate, electrocardiogram, respiration, blood pressure and methemoglobin concentration. Twenty control dogs died within 5 to 7 min, showing severe bradycardia, a sharp drop in arterial blood pressure, and respiratory paralysis. Pretreatment with phenoxybenzamine (0.5 mg/kg) prevented these changes in 8 of 10 dogs; however, this drug was ineffective if given after the cyanide. In contrast, amyl nitrite given after cyanide administration reversed both the cardiovascular changes and the respiratory paralysis in 24 of the 30 dogs studied. These changes occurred before the formation of significant amounts of methemoglobin and indicate that early death caused by cyanide may be due in part to cardiovascular-respiratory failure in addition to the classic poisoning of the cytochrome oxidase system. These studies indicate that phenoxybenzamine prevents and amyl nitrite reverses the otherwise lethal effects of cyanide.

Plasma free cyanide and blood total cyanide: a rapid completely automated microdistillation assay.

Techniques are presented which provide direct measurement of both free cyanide (CN-) in plasma and total CN- in whole blood. Loss of total CN- from blood is prevented by conversion to cyanmethemoglobin. Both free and total CN- are assayed by a completely automated method providing readout 17 minutes after sampling. No prior isolation technique is required and sensitivity is adjustable to cover a broad range of CN- concentrations from 1 to 4000 uM. Precision of blood CN- values from 2 to 2500 uM is within +/- 2.3%. No interference results from thiocyanate or thiosulfate at a concentration of approximately 1 mM.