Long-term effects of the anticholinesterases sarin and soman on latencies of muscle action potentials in mouse diaphragm muscle.

In-vivo administration of the irreversible anticholinesterases sarin and soman has been shown to produce long-term effects on latency and variability of latency of muscle action potentials in in-vitro mouse diaphragm muscle preparations. The maximum observed effects occurred three days post-soman administration and seven days post-sarin administration, and were no longer detectable 28 days later. With both anticholinesterases the increase in latency, and variability of latency, was reduced by pyridostigmine pretreatment. Therapeutic administration of pralidoxime mesylate effectively prevented the sarin-induced effects when given after a delay of 24 h. In contrast, the effectiveness of pralidoxime mesylate declined rapidly when its administration was delayed following soman. These findings are consistent with this action of soman and sarin being a product of acetylcholinesterase inhibition. The results obtained with sarin suggest that a period of acetylcholinesterase inhibition in excess of 24 h is required to trigger the events leading to the production of this long-term effect.