Evaluation of the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective efficacy of propentofylline during soman poisoning

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the anticonvulsant and neuroprotective activities of propentofylline against soman, an irreversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. In a first step, the ability of propentofylline to inhibit in vitro the hippocampal evoked release of acetylcholine (ACh) and glutamate (Glu), the two major neurotransmitters involved during soman intoxication, was demonstrated. Propentofylline was then given either at single doses from 0.5 to 25 mg/kg or with repetitive injections at 10 mg/kg to mice subjected to soman. Neither tonic-clonic convulsions induced by soman nor subsequent hippocampal damage were reduced in propentofylline-treated mice. This observation suggested that propentofylline did not inhibit the long-lasting hippocampal release of ACh and Glu under soman.