Oxime-induced reactivation of carboxylesterase inhibited by organophosphorus compounds

A structure-activity analysis of the ability of oximes to reactivate rat plasma carboxylesterase (CaE) that was inhibited by organophosphorus (OP) compounds revealed that uncharged oximes, such as 2,3-butanedione monoxime (diacetylmonoxime) or monoisonitrosoacetone, were better reactivators than cationic oximes. Cationic oximes that are excellent reactivators of OP-inhibited acetylcholinesterase, such as pyridine-2-aldoxime or the bis-pyridine aldoximes, HI-6 and TMB-4, produced poor reactivation of OP-inhibited CaE. The best uncharged reactivator was 2,3-butanedione monoxime, which produced complete reactivation at 0.3 mM in 2 h of CaE that was inhibited by phosphinates, alkoxy-containing phosphates, and alkoxy-containing phosphonates. Complete reactivation of CaE could be achieved even after inhibition by phosphonates with highly branched alkoxy groups, such as sarin and soman, that undergo rapid aging with acetylcholinesterase. CaE that was inhibited by phosphonates or phosphates that contained aryloxy groups were reactivated to a lesser extent. The cause of this decreased reactivation appears to be an oxime-induced aging reaction that competes with the reactivation reaction. This oxime-induced aging reaction is accelerated by electron-withdrawing substituents on the aryloxy groups of phosphonates and by the presence of multiple aryloxy groups on phosphates. Thus, reactivation and aging of OP-inhibited CaE differ from the same processes for OP-inhibited acetylcholinesterase in both their oxime specificity and inhibitor specificity and, presumably, in their underlying mechanisms.