SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE (SOD) FOR MUSTARD GAS BURNS

Mustard gas (MS) has been used in chemical warfare since World War I. The blistering skin lesions are slow to heal. Secondary inflammation m ight occur, as well as damage to organs distant from the original woun d. Presently there is no specific antidote for bums and poisoning by M S. This study examined treatment modalities with free oxygen radical s cavengers, copper-zinc, and manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD), for MS skin burns in an experimental guinea pig model. Each of the SOD com pounds reduced dramatically burn lesion area when administered intrape ritoneally/intralesionally (IP/IL) before wound infliction. The protec tive action of the SODs was also evident in the significantly higher h istopathological score of biopsies obtained on day 7 from local tissue , caused with the lower dose of MS. When the SOD compounds were admini stered IP 1 hour after burn infliction, and repeated daily for 7 days, no protective effect could be detected under the present experimental conditions. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd for ISBI. All rights reserv ed.