Effect of Anticholinesterase Agents on Airway Epithelial Function

摘要

Irreversible anticholinesterase compounds have potential serious deleterious health effects when employed as chemical warfare agents. Intoxication with these agents will cause an accumulation of acetylcholine at nerve muscle and nerve gland junctions. Because tracheal glands have rich cholinergic innervation, we hypothesized that exposure to anticholinesterase agents, such as soman, would stimulate glandular secretion. This would cause pathological changes in the important lung defense mechanism of mucociliary clearance. Initial work on this contract revealed a dose-related increase in mucociliary transport in the ferret in response to soman. This effect could be inhibited by atropine but no pralidoxime. The investigation that is described in this report relates primarily to the effects of soman and its antidotes on submucosal glandular secretory volume. Keywords: Soman, Submucosal gland secretion, Pig, Atropine, and Pralidoxime, RAV. (kt)