Role of Intralipid in Management of Organophosphorus Poisoning

Organophosphates (OPs) are cholinesterase inhibitors that are widely used as pesticides and organophosphate (OP) poisoning is an important public health concern in Egypt especially in the rural farming population. Organophosphate toxicity lead to a characteristic toxidrome that includes muscarinic, nicotinic and central nervous system signs and symptoms and, without proper and early antidotal treatment, death. A new antidote is the need of the hour. Lipid emulsion being inexpensive, easily available and effective in management of other lipid soluble toxins may be a novel option. The exact mechanisms by which ILE exert their beneficial effects are not fully understood, and several have suggested synergistic effects of several mechanisms. The mechanisms of action can be divided into intravascular, membrane, and intracellular effects. The original theory explaining the mechanism of lipid rescue was that of "lipid sink", suggesting sequestration of lipophilic compounds to an expanded intravascular lipid phase, extracting the offending agent from the target tissue, and reversing the toxicity. Other hypotheses relate to the mechanism by which ILEs facilitate cardiac rescue from drug poisoning. These include:

1. increasing myocardial energy substrate delivery and a direct cardiotonic effect of ILE on the poisoned heart.
2. an effect of ILE on calcium ion channels through high levels of long-chain fatty acids, leading to increased cardiomyocyte calcium and positive inotropic effect.