Antagonism of soman-induced convulsions by midazolam, diazepam and scopolamine

Abstract

The effects of midazolam (MDZ), diazepam (DZ) and scopolamine (SCP) therapies on soman-induced electrocorticogram (ECoG) and biceps femoris electromyogram (EMG) activities and brain lesions were assessed in male rats. Animals received pyridostigmine (26 micrograms/kg, im) 30 min before soman (87.1 micrograms/kg, im) followed by therapy consisting of atropine (1.5 mg/kg) admixed with 2-PAM (25 mg/kg, im) 1 min later; MDZ (0.5 mg/kg), DZ (1.77 mg/kg) or SCP (0.43 mg/kg) was administered im at 1 min after the onset of convulsions (CVs). Typically, within 5 min after soman the ECoG profile changed to a full-blown, spike-and-dome epileptiform (SDE) pattern followed by CVs and increased amplitude of EMG activity. Treatment with SCP restored ECoG and EMG profiles by 30 min. At 2 hr after exposure only 1 animal demonstrated a slight abnormality in ECoG activity which was normal at 24 hr. Similarly, DZ and MDZ restored EcoG and EMG profiles by 30 min; however, in contrast to SCP, 83% of the animals demonstrated reappearance of SDE 2 hrs after soman. SCP therapy also enabled rats to move about in their cages by 30 min post treatment. In contrast, DZ- and MDZ-treated rats remained incapacitated as late as 2 hr post-exposure. Animals were euthanized at 24 hr, and the extent of soman-induced brain lesions was determined by light microscopic analysis. When present, brain lesions were minimal in SCP-treated rats. The mean brain lesion scores across all experimental conditions ranked as follows: soman control > MDZ > DZ > or = SCP = saline control. These observations suggest that SCP may be highly effective in severe soman intoxication.