Adrenergic agonists protect against soman, an irreversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Adrenergic drugs from several chemical classes were compared with clonidine as protectants against soman toxicity. All agents tested produced some degree of protection. Alpha-adrenergic agonists such as methyldopa, xylazine and clonidine were among the most effective drugs, while a dopaminergic agonist (bromocriptine) and beta-receptor antagonist (pindolol) were the least effective. Potency for protection was related to affinity for alpha-adrenergic binding sites labelled with [3H]clonidine. Atropine acted synergistically with adrenergic agonists to potentiate protection.