STUDIES ON THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF THIOUREA AND RELATED COMPOUNDS

III. The Effect of Acute Poisoning on Carbohydrate Metabolosm

¹ University of Chicago Toxicity Laboratory; Department of Pharmacology, University of Chicago, Chicago

1. Acute poisoning by ANTU, phenylthiourea, allylthiourea, and thiourea results in hyperglycemia in rats, the time of appearance, extent, and duration of hyperglycemia being dependent upon the dose of the compounds administered and upon the toxicity of the individual compounds to rats. Higher quantities of ANTU were necessary to produce hyperglycemia in guinea pigs than in rats in agreement with the difference in toxicity of the rodenticide to those two species.

2. Lethal doses of ANTU, phenylthiourea, allylthiourea, and thiourea produced a marked drop in liver glycogen in rats.

3. Both insulin and ergotamine antagonized the hyperglycemic effect of 10 mgm./kgm. of ANTU, and adrenal-demedullation prevented the hyperglycemia, but the survival time of rats was not increased by insulin, ergotamine, or adrenaldemedullation.

4. Hypophysectomy did not prevent the hyperglycemia or increase the survival time of rats after 10 mgm./kgm. of ANTU.

5. There was no detectable increase in the epinephrine content of blood from ANTU-poisoned rats.

6. Neither ANTU nor phenylthiourea inhibited glycolysis or the oxidation by glucose by brain or lung tissue.