Reactions of Usual and Atypical Human Serum Cholinesterase Phenotypes with Progressive and Reversible Inhibitors

Abstract

The reaction of usual (U) and atypical (A) cholinesterase phenotypes was studied with six organophosphorus compounds, two pyridinium oximes (HI-6 and PAM-2) and with 4–4-bipyridine (4,4-BP). No difference in the inhibition rate constants for the two phenotypes was found with the progressive inhibitors tabun, sarin, paraoxon and soman. The other two progressive inhibitors, VX and the positively charged phosphostigmine, inhibited the U phenotype more strongly than the A phenotype.

The positively charged reversible inhibitor HI-6 showed a higher affinity for the U than for the A phenotype, while PAM-2 and the non-charged 4,4′-BP did not show a significant difference in their affinity towards the two enzymes.

Both phenotypes phosphylated by VX or sarin were reactivatable by HI-6 and PAM-2, and the A phenotype was always reactivated more slowly than the U phenotype. The paraoxon-inhibited phenotypes were reactivated at equal rates with PAM-2 but were not reactivated with HI-6. The phosphylated phenotypes did not reactivate spontaneously during one hour.

The effect of reversible inhibitors upon the rate of phosphylation (protection) was tested with HI-6 (for inhibition by soman, tabun and paraoxon) and with 4,4′-BP (for inhibition by soman). By applying the concentrations of the protectors equal to their enzyme/inhibitor dissociation constants, a better protection of the U than of the A phenotype was achieved by HI-6, but equal protection was given by 4,4′-BP.

Key Words: :

• Cholinesterase phenotypes
• organophosphorus compounds
• pyridine inhibition
• reversible inhibition
• protection
• reactivation