Structural and stereochemical specificity of mouse monoclonal antibodies to the organophosphorous cholinesterase inhibitor soman.

To test the usefulness of immunotherapy in organophosphate poisoning, two mouse monoclonal antibodies were prepared to the chemical warfare agent soman. The antibodies bound reversibly to soman and afforded considerable protection to acetylcholinesterase in vitro. However, they were only marginally effective in preventing the consequences of soman poisoning in mice (these data have been published elsewhere). Since potential for immunotherapeutic usefulness resides in antibody affinity and specificity, we conducted experiments to define these parameters to enable us to maximize them in the production of later antibodies. Interaction of the antibodies (CC1 and BE2) in affinity-purified form with a series of soman analogs in a competitive inhibition enzyme immunoassay was used to assess the contribution to binding affinity of each functional group on the soman molecule. Neither antibody interacted with the -P = S analog of soman or methylphosphonic acid. A decrease in the number of methyl groups on the pinacolyl side chain reduced or eliminated binding with both antibodies while increasing the size of this group had a mixed result. The major metabolite of soman, its basic hydrolysis product, interacted weakly with BE2 and failed to interact with CC1. Alkyl ester group substitution at the fluorine position increased antibody binding up to the symmetrical dipinacolyl analog. Stereochemical specificity was determined by measuring the apparent decrease in the rate of inhibition of cholinesterases (acetylcholine acetylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.7, or acylcholine acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.8) by pure soman stereoisomers in the presence of increasing concentrations of each antibody. CC1 demonstrated specificity that varied as C(+)P(+) less than C(-)P(+) less than C(-)P(-) less than C(+)P(-). Although affinities were much lower, BE2 also showed a preference for the more toxic P(-) isomers.