Sulfur mustard toxicity: History, chemistry, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics

Sulfur mustard (SM) and similar bifunctional agents have been used as chemical weapons for almost 100 years. Victims of high-dose exposure, both combatants and civilians, may die within hours or weeks, but low-dose exposure causes both acute injury to the eyes, skin, respiratory tract and other part...

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Published inCritical reviews in toxicology Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 384 - 403
Main Authors Ghabili, Kamyar, Agutter, Paul S., Ghanei, Mostafa, Ansarin, Khalil, Panahi, Yunes, Shoja, Mohammadali M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Informa Healthcare 01.05.2011
Taylor & Francis
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
Chemical and industrial products toxicology. Toxic occupational diseases
Chemical Warfare Agents - chemistry
Chemical Warfare Agents - metabolism
Chemical Warfare Agents - toxicity
Chemical weapon
Eye - drug effects
Eye - metabolism
Gas, fumes
Kinetics
mechanism
Medical sciences
molecular
Mustard Gas - chemistry
Mustard Gas - metabolism
Mustard Gas - toxicity
Pharmacokinetics
Respiratory System - drug effects
Respiratory System - metabolism
Skin - drug effects
Skin - metabolism
sulfur mustard
toxicity
Toxicology
Human
Toxic gas
Toxicity
Sulfur mustard
Review
Case history
Toxicokinetics
Chemical warfare agent
Animal
molecular
Chemical weapon
Mechanism of action
mechanism
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Summary:Sulfur mustard (SM) and similar bifunctional agents have been used as chemical weapons for almost 100 years. Victims of high-dose exposure, both combatants and civilians, may die within hours or weeks, but low-dose exposure causes both acute injury to the eyes, skin, respiratory tract and other parts of the body, and chronic sequelae in these organs are often debilitating and have a serious impact on quality of life. Ever since they were first used in warfare in 1917, SM and other mustard agents have been the subjects of intensive research, and their chemistry, pharmacokinetics and mechanisms of toxic action are now fairly well understood. In the present article we review this knowledge and relate the molecular-biological basis of SM toxicity, as far as it has been elucidated, to the pathological effects on exposure victims.
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ISSN:1040-8444
1547-6898
1547-6898
DOI:10.3109/10408444.2010.541224