Protective Action of Mercury and Lead Salts Against Procaine Convulsions. ∗

Abstract

Recently Beutner, Landay and Lieberman 1 reported that hydroxy mercuri-methoxy-propyl carbamyl phenoxy acetate (salyrgan) will act as an anticonvulsant drug. They found that salyrgan prevented the usual procaine convulsions if the two drugs are mixed prior to the injection. They also noted that if the salyrgan is injected separately before that of procaine, it afforded no protective action against the procaine. They concluded from these experiments that the “anticonvulsant” action of salyrgan is not through a renal diuretic action but rather by virtue of a “tissue diuretic” action, i. e., decreased cellular permeability.

A series of experiments was performed in our laboratory in which the following intramuscular injections were made into guinea pigs: (1) procaine alone, (2) procaine and salyrgan into separate areas of the body, (3) procaine and salyrgan mixed before the injection, (4) procaine and mercuric chloride mixed before the injection, and (5) lead nitrate and procaine mixed before the injection.

Results. Our experiments confirm Beutner, et al., that salyrgan will protect an animal against procaine convulsions if the 2 drugs are mixed before being injected, but not if the 2 drugs are injected separately in different regions of the body. In 17 experiments performed on as many guinea pigs, 150 mg per kilo of procaine (10% solution) were injected intramuscularly into the right rear leg. Sixteen of the animals showed violent convulsions, from which they recovered in 15 to 40 minutes. In 12 experiments 20 mg per kilo of a 10% solution of salyrgan were injected intramuscularly and immediately following 150 mg of procaine per kilo were injected intramuscularly into the opposite extremity. All of these animals had convulsions which were as severe and lasted as long as those in which procaine was injected alone.