Genetically determined differences in acute responses to diisopropylfluorophosphate

The acute effects of diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) were assessed in DBA/2Ibg, C57BL/6Ibg and C3H/2Ibg mice. The DFP was administered by intraperitoneal injection in saline. Brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was maximally inhibited within 5 min after injection. All mice showed signs of organophosphate intoxication including salivation, lacrimation, diarrhea, respiratory distress, tremor and, at high doses, seizures. The C57BL mice were most susceptible to these effects of DFP. The LD50 values for DFP were 8.0, 7.6, and 6.8 mg/kg for male DBA, C3H, and C57BL mice, respectively. The LD50 values for females were nearly the same. Body temperature and brain AChE activity decreased in a dose-dependent manner following injections of DFP of 3.17, 4.22, 5.28, and 6.33 mg/kg. Maximum temperature depression occurred 2 hours after DFP administration; by 24 hours temperatures had returned to normal except for C57BL mice treated with the highest dose of DFP. The C57BL strain was most susceptible to the DFP-induced hypothermia, the C3H strain was the most resistant, and the DBA strain was intermediate. Maximum temperature depression and residual AChE activity, as measured 24 hours after injection, were linearly related. These strain differences do not seem to be explained easily by a differential inhibition of AChE activity.