Glutathione and Methylene Blue in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Abstract

The experiments of Brooks 1 based upon theory derived from the investigations of Warburg ct al., 2 Meyerhof, 3 Heymans and Heymans, 4 Barron, 5 and others, aroused interest in methylene blue as an antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning. Many case reports (Geiger, 6 Bell, 7 Nass, 8 Christoferson, 9 Brown¹⁰) and some experimental reports (Brooks, 11 Draize, 12 Haggard and Greenberg¹³) have increased the literature upon this subject. Even the contradictory conclusions of Haggard and Greenberg and the concise summary of Henderson 14 have not sufficed to alter the popular conception of methylene blue as an antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning.

In the following experiments, the effect of glutathione upon carbon monoxide poisoning was first investigated because of Brooks'results with a similar oxidation-reduction catalyst, methylene blue. However, the discouragingly negative results soon prompted an investigation of methylene blue.

White rats (100 to 200 gm.) were placed one at a time in a special chamber through which carbon monoxide (produced by the action of hot sulphuric acid upon formic acid, purified by washing with solutions of potassium hydroxide and with water, and made up to 2% by volume in air) was passed at a uniform rate of approximately one-half liter per minute. The animals were removed from the chamber 30 seconds after the disappearance of the righting reflex and immediately injected intraperitoneally with warmed solution. Three solutions were used: (1) Methylene blue: 0.406 gm. of methylene blue U.S.P. Medicinal and 5.24 gm. of dextrose per 100 cc. of solution. (2) Glutathione: 0.60 gm. of glutathione (Eastman Kodak) and 4.00 gm. of dextrose per 100 cc. of solution. (3) Dextrose: 5.42 gm. of dextrose per 100 cc. of solution.