Effect of Q-VD-OPh on neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation of sarin-exposed mice (877.6)

Organophosphates (OP) cause CNS hyperstimulation resulting in seizures, convulsions and brain damage. Sarin is a toxic nerve agent used in Syria, the Gulf War and in terrorist attacks in Japan. Exposure to sarin is associated with presence of dead neurons, activation of astrocytes, microglia and NI. Since, cell death and NI are found in sarin exposed animals, we evaluated the efficacy of Q-VD-OPh, a pan spectrum caspase inhibitor that prevents cell death and has anti-inflammatory properties. Currently, treatment for sarin exposures is effective only if administered within 30-40 minutes of exposure. In this study, adult female C57BL/6 mice were subjected to an injection of 1.5 mg/kg CBDP before a 0.04mg/kg injection of sarin followed by 20 mg/kg injection of Q-VD-OPh 30 minutes later. Mice were sacrificed at two and fourteen day time points followed by BioPlex (Bio Rad) cytokine analysis of amygdala, hippocampus and piriform cortex. At two days, there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in IL-2, IL-10, IL-...