Abstract
1. To study the influence of antidotes on low-level sarin-induced alteration of cognitive functions, male albino Wistar rats were exposed to three various low concentrations of sarin for 60 minutes in the inhalation chamber. One minute following sarin exposure, the rats were i.m. treated with the oxime HI-6 in combination with atropine. Control rats were treated with antidotes as experimental rats but exposed to the pure air instead of sarin. Cognitive functions of the rats were tested using a T-maze where spatial memory and spatial orientation were evaluated. The performance of sarin-exposed and treated rats in the T-maze was tested several times within six weeks (single exposure) or five weeks (repeated exposure) following inhalation exposure to evaluate cognitive impairments. 2. In the case of single exposure to sarin, no statistically significant differencies between the performances of the control and the experimental groups in the alteration of spatial memory and spatial orientation were observed. The repeated exposure of treated rats to clinically asymptomatic dose of sarin (LEVEL 2) did not change the effect of low-level sarin exposure on spatial memory of the experimental rats compared to the single exposure to the same dose of sarin. 3. The decrease in the T-maze performance of the control rats was caused by the impairments of rat's mobility due to the features of a solution of antidotes.
Highlights
Organophosphorus compounds (OP) exhibit their toxicity by irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) in the peripheral and central nervous system
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the oxime HI-6 in combination with atropine on low-level sarin induced alteration of some cognitive functions using the T-maze as a testing apparatus
The results of our study showed that T-maze performance of rats exposed to all three low sarin concentrations (LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2 or LEVEL 3) and treated one minute after exposure with the oxime HI-6 and atropine was impaired in comparison with the values obtained before the exposure
Summary
Organophosphorus compounds (OP) exhibit their toxicity by irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) in the peripheral and central nervous system They include various compounds used as insecticides or extremely toxic AChE inhibitors classified as nerve agents. The exposure to high doses of OP results in severe brain neuropathology that involves neuronal degeneration and necrosis of various brain regions [14,18,19] and persistent severe alteration of behavior and cognitive functions, especially impairments of learning and memory [4,17,20]. Impairments of cognitive functions, especially incapacitation of learning and memory, belongs to the most frequent central signs of acute OP poisoning [15,17]
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