Reiter_2011_J.Chromatogr.B.Analyt.Technol.Biomed.Life.Sci_879_2704

The present study was initiated to develop a sensitive and highly selective method for the simultaneous quantification of the nerve agent VX (O-ethyl S-[2(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothioate) and its toxic metabolite (EA-2192) in blood and plasma samples in vivo and in vitro. For the quantitative detection of VX and EA-2192 the resolution was realized on a HYPERCARB HPLC phase. A specific procedure was developed to isolate both toxic analytes from blood and plasma samples. The limit of detection was 0.1 pg/ml and the absolute recovery of the overall sample preparation procedure was 74% for VX and 69% for EA-2192. After intravenous and percutaneous administration of a supralethal doses of VX in anaesthetised swine both VX and EA-2192 could be quantified over 540 min following exposure. This study is the first to verify the in vivo formation of the toxic metabolite EA-2192 after poisoning with the nerve agent VX. Further toxicokinetic and therapeutic studies are required in order to determine the impact of EA-2192 on the treatment of acute VX poisoning.