THE ACUTE PHARMACOLOGY OF METHYL-BIS(2-CHLOROETHYL) AMINE (HN2)

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Cornell University Medical College and the Pharmacology Section, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, New York

1. The acute pharmacology of methyl-bis(2-chloroethyl)amine (HN2) has been investigated in rats and cats. A standard procedure for transformation of HN2 was adopted which permitted the analysis of the effects of methyl-2-chloroethyl-ethylenimonium (chlorimine), and methyl-2-hydroxyethyl-ethylenimonium (hydroxyimine). The toxicity of these products by intravenous administration has been compared in cats and rats.

2. The chlorimine of HN2 possesses striking cholinergic properties on effectors of the autonomic nervous system, sympathetic ganglia, and striated muscle. It has a unique action upon the salivary gland producing a diphasic response which is prevented by the prior administration of atropine but which is not altered when atropine is given after secretion has begun.

3. The hydroxyimine of HN2 is a less potent cholinergic agent and its principal effect is in the production of a neurologic disorder characterized by ataxia, incoordination, tremors, and muscular weakness.

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