J Appl Biomed 2:117-122, 2004 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2004.014

A comparison of protective and anticonvulsive efficacy of two prophylactic mixtures in soman-poisoned rats

Ivan Samnaliev¹, Jiří Kassa^2,*

¹ Military Medical Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria

² Purkyně Military Medical Academy in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

The protective and anticonvulsive efficacy of two prophylactic mixtures (PANPAL consisting of pyridostigmine, benactyzine, and trihexyphenidyle and pyridostigmine plus biperiden) administered prior to the administration of soman in a lethal dose (1.5 LD₅₀) with or without antidotal treatment (atropine + HI-6) was evaluated using rats as experimental animals. The pretreatment was applied 30 and 60 min before intoxication and the antidotal therapy was administered 1 min after soman poisoning. The anticonvulsive efficacy of both prophylactic combinations was determined using a seven degree scale. Non-treated soman-poisoned rats died within 10 min after soman challenge showing severe tremor, subconvulsions and generalized convulsions. More than 90% of pretreated animals survived for 24 hrs following soman poisoning and they were observed to be free from soman-induced toxic signs 24 hrs after soman administration. Our findings confirm that both prophylactic mixtures are able not only to protect experimental animals from the lethal effects of soman but also to eliminate most soman-induced toxic signs. Our results confirm that both prophylactic mixtures should be considered as a pretreatment for nerve agent poisoning, especially in the case of the threat of exposure to soman.

Keywords: soman; antidotal treatment; convulsion; prophylactic mixture; rat

Received: February 27, 2004; Revised: March 18, 2004; Published: July 31, 2004  Show citation