title: Cold exposure decreases the effectiveness of atropine-oxime treatment in organophosphate intoxication in rats and mice.
abstract: 1. The effect of cold environment on the acute toxicity of organophosphates (OP), without and with atropine-oxime treatment, was studied in rats and mice by exposing them to +5 and -5 degrees C temperature. The tested OPs and oximes (given intraperitoneally) were diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (sarin) and dichlorovinyl phosphate (DDVP), pralidoxime (PAM) and obidoxime. 2. An exposure to low environmental temperature decreased the effectiveness of atropine-oxime therapy in OP poisoned rats and mice, evaluated by means of acute LD50 values. 3. The lowering of environmental temperature did not influence the ability of PAM to reactivate tissue cholinesterase in rats intoxicated by 0.5 x LD50 doses of DFP. 4. The acute toxicity of atropine and oximes was not affected by cold environment in rats, but in mice it was increased by 1.1-2.1 times. 5. The decrease in the effectiveness of atropine-oxime therapy at cold environment may be explained by the observation that the cold temperature sensitizes the animals to the inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase by OP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaliste-Korhonen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ryhänen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ylitalo
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hänninen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000931:Antidotes; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D002801:Cholinesterase Reactivators; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004793:Enzyme Reactivators; D007531:Isoflurophate / Q000506:poisoning; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D009768:Obidoxime Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D062025:Organophosphate Poisoning; D010091:Oximes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011220:Pralidoxime Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
chemical_list: D000931:Antidotes; D002801:Cholinesterase Reactivators; D004793:Enzyme Reactivators; D010091:Oximes; D011220:Pralidoxime Compounds; D007531:Isoflurophate; D009768:Obidoxime Chloride; D001285:Atropine; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; C028797:pralidoxime