Mechanisms involved in the development of tolerance to DFP toxicity

Rats treated daily with diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) (0.5 mg/kg, sc), an inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, exhibited the symptoms of cholinergic hyperactivity between Days 3 and 5 similar to those observed 15 min after a single acute dosage (1.5 mg/kg, sc). A significant (p less than 0.05) decrease in the activities of both AChE and cholinesterase (BuChE) (greater than 80%) occurred in muscles and in brain regions and of aliesterases in liver (greater than 92%) at this time. Further administration of DFP (0.5 mg/kg, for 7-14 days) led to behavioral tolerance, where symptoms of toxicity disappeared such as muscle fasciculations, tremors, and muscle necrosis. The activity of aliesterases in liver and AChE in muscles significantly (p less than 0.01) recovered, while no such recovery was seen in brain AChE. DFP toxicity was potentiated in rats that were pretreated with BuChE inhibitors, such as iso-OMPA (3 mg/kg, sc) or mipafox (0.05 mg/kg, sc), 30 min prior to DFP (0.5 mg/kg, sc). The severity of cholinergic hyperactivity and inhibition of aliesterase in liver, AChE and BuChE activity in brain and muscles was greater when compared to the effects of DFP alone. Both iso-OMPA and mipafox completely abolished the tolerance development to DFP, since no animal survived more than 5 days of combined treatment. The observed adaptation to DFP toxicity appears to be due to recovery of aliesterase, BuChE, and AChE activity as well as decreased nicotinic binding sites at the neuromuscular junction, as previously reported.