The Influence of Oxime Selection on the Efficacy of Antidotal Treatment of Soman-Poisoned Rats

1. The influence of some acetylcholinesterase reactivators (HI-6, obidoxime, pralidoxime) on the efficacy of antidotal treatment to eliminate soman-induced disturbance of respiration and circulation and to protect experimental animals poisoned with supralethal dose of soman (1.5 x LD50) was investigated in a rat model with on-line monitoring of respiratory and circulatory parameters. 2. Obidoxime or pralidoxime in combination with atropine were insufficient to enable soman-poisoned rats to survive for 2 hours when given 1 minute after the administration of soman. 3. On the other hand, the ability of the oxime HI-6 in combination with atropine to prevent soman-induced alteration of respiration and circulation was significantly higher. Some rats treated with HI-6 in combination with atropine were fully protected against the lethal toxic effects of soman within 2 hours following soman administration. 4. Our findings confirm that the oxime HI-6 seems to be a much more suitable and efficacious acetylcholinesterase reactivator for the antidotal treatment of severe acute soman-induced poisoning than currently used obidoxime or pralidoxime.