Protection by physostigmine against the pressor effect of soman in the rat

Intravenous injection of soman, 30 ug/kg, increased mean arterial blood pressure by 57 mmHg in urethane-anesthetized rats. The response declined slightly after a few minutes and then remained stable at about 39 mmHg for the next 20 minutes. The increase in pressure was accompanied by marked inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In rats pretreated with a threshold pressor dose of physostigmine (50 ug/kg, i.v.), the peak pressor response to soman rose to the same level as that in the control group, but showed a more rapid recovery, reaching 17 mmHg at 20 minutes. The recovery of blood pressure was accompanied by partial recovery of brain AChE.