Comparison of polyethylene glycol-conjugated recombinant human acetylcholinesterase and serum human butyrylcholinesterase as bioscavengers of organophosphate compounds

Comparative protection studies in mice demonstrate that on a molar basis, recombinant human acetylcholinesterase (rHuAChE) confers higher levels of protection than native human butyrylcholinesterase (HuBChE) against organophosphate (OP) compound intoxication. For example, mice challenged with 2.5 LD50 of O-isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate (sarin), pinacolylmethyl phosphonofluoridate (soman), and O-ethyl-S-(2-isopropylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothiolate (VX) after treatment with equimolar amounts of the two cholinesterases displayed 80, 100, and 100% survival, respectively, when pretreatment was carried out with rHuAChE and 0, 20, and 60% survival, respectively, when pretreatment was carried out with HuBChE. Kinetic studies and active site titration analyses of the tested OP compounds with acetylcholinesterases (AChEs) and butyrylcholinesterases (BChEs) from different mammalian species demonstrate that the superior in vivo efficacy of acetylcholinesterases is in accordance with the higher stereoselectivity of AChE versus BChE toward the toxic enantiomers comprising the racemic mixtures of the various OP agents. In addition, we show that polyethylene glycol-conjugated (PEGylated) rHuAChE, which is characterized by a significantly extended circulatory residence both in mice and monkeys (Biochem J 357: 795 -802, 2001; Biochem J 378: 117 -128, 2004), retains full reactivity toward OP compounds both in vitro and in vivo and provides a higher level of protection to mice against OP poisoning, compared with native serum-derived HuBChE. Indeed, PEGylated rHuAChE also confers superior prophylactic protection when administered intravenously or intramuscularly over 20 h before exposure of mice to a lethal dose of VX (1.3 -1.5 LD50). These findings together with the observations that the PEGylated rHuAChE exhibits unaltered biodistribution and high bioavailability present a case for using PEGylated rHuAChE as a very efficacious bioscavenger of OP agents.