A PURIFIED RECOMBINANT ORGANOPHOSPHORUS ACID ANHYDRASE PROTECTS MICE AGAINST SOMAN

Since pharmacologic treatments of organophosphorus anticholinesterases (OPs) are nearing their practical limit other types of treatment are being sought. One approach is the prophylactic administration of scave ngers that will detoxify OPs before they reach their critical target s ite. We have shown that mice which have been treated with a purified o rganophospborus acid anhydride hydrolase (OPAH) are not measurably aff ected by doses of soman that are lethal to untreated animals. This res ult indicates that this approach is worthy of exploration and developm ent for protecting military personnel and agriculture workers against OP intoxication.