Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is the physiologically important target for organophosphorus toxicants (OP) including nerve agents and pesticides. Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in blood serves as a bioscavenger that protects AChE in nerve synapses from inhibition by OP. Mass spectrometry methods can detect exposure to OP by measuring adducts on the active site serine of plasma BChE. Genetic variants...

While neurobehavioral effects of acute exposure to toxic levels of chemical warfare nerve agents (CWNA) have been characterized (e.g. [8]), much less is known about the effects of repeated exposure to non-convulsive levels of CWNA. In Exp. 1, male mice that received repeated exposure (1/day x 5 days/wk x 2 wk) to 0.4 LD50 of the nerve agent VX had much lower activity in the home cage, relative ...

Human paraoxonase-1 (HuPON1) has been proposed as a catalytic bioscavenger of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides and nerve agents. We assessed the potential of this enzyme to protect against OP poisoning using two different paradigms. First, recombinant HuPON1 purified from cabbage loopers (iPON1; Trichoplusia ni) was administered to guinea pigs, followed by exposure to at least 2 times the media...

Chemical warfare nerve agents (CWNAs) are highly toxic compounds that cause a cascade of symptoms and death, if exposed casualties are left untreated. Numerous rodent models have investigated the toxicity and mechanisms of toxicity of CWNAs, but most are limited to male subjects. Given the profound physiological effects of circulating gonadal hormones in female rodents, it is possible that the ...

The inhabitants of communities in the Kurdistan area Iraq, particularly Halabja, represent greatest civilian populations ever exposed to chemical weapons. In several sections Region Iraq between 1987 and 1991, Iraqi government conducted a Genocide against Kurds. Various warfare chemicals, such as sulfur mustard nerve agents Sarin, Tabun, cyanide, were used act war. There are scientific indicati...

The study of monoclonal antibodies raised against defined hapten epitopes has been a useful approach to understanding antibody repertoire. The situation in which antibodies are raised against different epitopes of the same hapten but have some common recognition or binding features has been less frequently examined. To explore the latter situation, we have characterized three monoclonal antibod...

Chemiresistor-based vapour sensors made from network films of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) bundles on flexible plastic substrates (polyethylene terephthalate, PET) can be used to detect chemical warfare agent simulants for the nerve agents Sarin (diisopropyl methylphosphonate, DIMP) and Soman (dimethyl methylphosphonate, DMMP). Large, reproducible resistance changes (75-150%), are obser...