Abstract
Summary
Crystalline Na penicillin-G is not a hemolytic agent and is not adsorbed by rabbit erythrocytes suspended in isotonic saline solution. It does not alter the oxygen-consumption of yeast-cells, duck erythrocytes or slices of rat liver suspended in a solution containing 2.05 mg (3400 Oxford units) per ml. A high concentration (0.111M) causes a moderate reduction of the amplitude of each beat of the isolated frog's heart without affecting the rate; the effect is completely reversible. A concentration of 1-5500 in the bath fluid has no significant effect on the. isolated ileum or uterus of the guinea pig and does not alter the response of the ileum to acetylcholine or of the uterus to posterior pituitary extract. A single intravenous dose as high as 3,800,000 units (2.32 g) per kilo is tolerated by the mouse as well as a corresponding volume of isotonic saline. One mouse received 6 intravenous injections in 7 days (total dose: 9,800,000 units or 5.93 g per kilo). During the first 2 weeks following injection there was a transient loss of weight and a transient anemia.
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