THE METABOLISM OF PARALDEHYDE. II

¹ Department of Pharmacology, The Tulane University of Louisiana School of Medicine, New Orleans, La.

The destruction and pulmonary excretion of paraldehyde by normal and carbon tetrachloride mice have been studied, and data covering the range from the largest tolerated dose to the smallest after which any excretion could be detected have been presented. The quantities excreted vary from about fourteen per cent to very small fractions of the administered dose, being, for any particular dose, greater in the mice given carbon tetrachloride than in the normals. It was found that the rate of pulmonary excretion is a function of the dose, and that the rate of destruction by normal mice is a function of the dose at lower levels, but is constant at higher ones, while the destruction is constant and much lower in mice which have been poisoned with carbon tetrachloride.

Experiments have been described on the excretion and destruction of acetaldehyde by mice. It was found that this drug is very rapidly destroyed, at least four times as rapidly as paraldehyde, and that only small quantities are excreted in the expired air. Further, it was found that the rate of destruction and excretion of acetaldehyde is unaffected by the previous administration of carbon tetrachloride.

Finally it has been shown that paraldehyde is capable of increasing the acetylation of sulfanilamide by mice.