Effects of PAM, proPAM, and DFP on behavior, thermoregulation, and brain AChE in rats

The effects of pyridine-2 aldoxime methyl iodide (PAM), N-methyl-1,6-dihydro-pyridine-2-carbaldoxime hydrochloride (proPAM), and diisopropyl phosphorofluoridate (DFP) on performance of a conditioned avoidance response (CAR), body temperature, and in vivo acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in five brain regions in the rat were examined. Sublethal doses of DFP (1.5 to 2.5 mg/kg, IP) markedly degraded CAR performance. This effect was antagonized by 5 mg/kg, subcutaneously injected (SC) atropine. A 50 mg/kg, SC dose of PAM had no effect on the CAR, but an equal dose of proPAM caused a transient deterioration of performance. Given 10 min or 2 hr after DFP, 50 mg/kg proPAM initially exacerbated the behaviorally toxic effects of DFP. Neither PAM nor proPAM antagonized DFP-induced hypothermia. PAM did not reactivate DFP-inhibited brain AChE, and proPAM reactivated it by only 6 to 12% of control activity.