Thiosemicarbazide: A New Toxic Derivative of Thiourea. *

Abstract

Summary

Thiorsemicarbazide, a derivative of both thiourea and hydrazine, has proved to differ from other toxic thioureas previously studied. Instead of producing fatal pulmonary edema in a limited number of animal species and not harming others at equivalent dose levels, thiosemicarbazide caused convulsions and death within 1 to 3 hours in the 6 species tested, when given in amounts ranging from 10 to 30 mg/kg. In some individual laboratory rats, however, including those in which the convulsions had been suppressed by administration af a barbiturate, death was delayed and accompanied by the development of pulmonary edema. Thiosemicarbazide may have promise as a practical odenticide, because of its general toxicity to rats of several species and because it appears to be readly accepted in lethal amounts when offered to rats in either water solution or bait.