Abstract
The possibility of antagonism in systemic toxicity between the sulfonamides and other compounds has begun to receive attention during the past year. McCarty 1 found that para-aminobenzoic acid has no effect on the acute fatal toxicity of sulfapyridine in mice. David, et al., 2 reported that pentobarbital exerted a protective action against the toxicity of intravenously administered heparin-sodium sulfapyridine mixtures in dogs. Richards 3 found that small doses of urethane or pentobarbital decrease the fatal toxicity of intravenously administered sodium sulfapyridine in rabbits and dogs. In the present paper it is shown that the acute toxicity of 2-sulfanilamidopyrimidine (sulfadiazine) in the mouse is reduced by phenylazo-alpha-alpha-diaminopyridine hydrochloride (pyridium). The toxicity of sulfanilamide is not affected by this compound.
The percent mortality in a group of mice injected subcutaneously with a given dose of sulfonamide was compared, under the same experimental conditions, with the mortality in groups receiving this dose and, in addition, doses of 10, 30 or 100 mg of pyridium per kg. For each experiment, 3 groups consisting of 8 to 15 mice each were employed. A total of 269 mice was used in the experiments here reported. The sodium salts of sulfadiazine and sulfanilamide∗ were injected subcutaneously in concentrations of 5 to 10%. Pyridium was injected in a 0.2% solution or a 0.5% suspension. When both sulfonamide and pyridium were employed, they were injected within a few seconds of each other into widely separated sites. The mice were given water and food ad lib. and the number of deaths occurring in 4 days noted.
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