Organophosphorus Nerve Agents: Types, Toxicity, and Treatments

Toxicity and medical countermeasure studies on the organophosphorus nerve agents VM and VX

To support the effort to eliminate the Syrian Arab Republic chemical weapons stockpile safely, there was a requirement to provide scientific advice based on experimentally derived information on both toxicity and medical countermeasures (MedCM) in the event of exposure to VM, VX or VM-VX mixtures. Complementary in vitro and in vivo studies were undertaken to inform that advice. The penetration ...

Gene-delivered butyrylcholinesterase is prophylactic against the toxicity of chemical warfare nerve agents and organophosphorus compounds.

Gene delivery using an adenoviral system has been effective in introducing therapeutic proteins in vitro and in vivo. This study tested the feasibility of using adenovirus to deliver clinically relevant amounts of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), a proven bioscavenger of nerve agents. The adenovirus construct expressed full-length mouse BChE. Mice were injected with a single dose of adenovirus (1....

Effective countermeasure against poisoning by organophosphorus insecticides and nerve agents.

The nerve agents soman, sarin, VX, and tabun are deadly organophosphorus (OP) compounds chemically related to OP insecticides. Most of their acute toxicity results from the irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the enzyme that inactivates the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. The limitations of available therapies against OP poisoning are well recognized, and more effective anti...

Immobilization of organophosphorus hydrolase for the degradation of organophosphorus nerve agents.

Improved degradation of organophosphorus nerve agents and p-nitrophenol by Pseudomonas putida JS444 with surface-expressed organophosphorus hydrolase.

Pseudomonas putida JS444, isolated from p-nitrophenol (PNP) contaminated waste sites, was genetically engineered to simultaneously degrade organophosphorus pesticides (OP) and PNP. A surface anchor system derived from the ice-nucleation protein (INP) from Pseudomonas syringae was used to target the organophosphorus hydrolase (OPH) onto the surface of Pseudomonas putida JS444, reducing the poten...