Aging and spontaneous reactivation of human plasma cholinesterase activity after inhibition by organophosphorus pesticides.

The in vitro rates of aging and spontaneous reactivation of human plasma cholinesterase (ChE) after inhibition by several organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) have been studied. After inhibition by OP the enzyme can undergo two simultaneous reactions; spontaneous reactivation to the active enzyme and 'aging' to an irreversibly inhibited form of the enzyme. The rates of these two reactions depend on the nature of the phosphoryl group of the OP bound to the active site of ChE. Most OPs registered for use in the UK have dimethoxy or diethoxy groups attached to the phosphorus atom. Reaction rate constants for aging and spontaneous reaction are reported. Dimethoxy OPs cause half-lives of aging in human plasma ChE of approximately 6 hours and 23 hours at 37 degrees C and 22 degrees C respectively; for diethoxy OPs the values are 12 hours and 39 hours. Reappearance of enzyme activity, after removal of OP, reduced any inhibition by a maximum of 25% for dimethoxy OPs; this reappearance of enzyme activity occurs with a 'half-life' of 5 hours and 15 hours at 37 degrees C and 22 degrees C. These effects, both in vivo and ex vivo, may have relevance in developing a monitoring strategy for dimethoxy OPs using plasma ChE measurements. Inhibition by diethoxy OPs spontaneously reactivates very slowly, even at 37 degrees C, and would not practically influence the measured inhibition. No spontaneous reactivation was detected in human plasma ChE inhibited by the methoxy-ethylamino substituted OP (propetamphos) or the methoxy-methylamino substituted OP (crufomate) during 45 hours incubation at 37 degrees C.