PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - K M Hurlbut
AU  - R M Maiorino
AU  - M Mayersohn
AU  - R C Dart
AU  - D C Bruce
AU  - H V Aposhian
TI  - Determination and metabolism of dithiol chelating agents. XVI: Pharmacokinetics of 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonate after intravenous administration to human volunteers.
DP  - 1994 Feb 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 662--668
VI  - 268
IP  - 2
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/268/2/662.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/268/2/662.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1994 Feb 01; 268
AB  - The pharmacokinetics of 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfonate (DMPS), an effective chelating agent for mercury, were determined in five healthy adults after i.v. administration of 3.0 mg/kg of DMPS. DMPS is rapidly transformed to disulfide forms; 15 min after administration, only 12% of the total DMPS detected in blood was present as the parent drug. DMPS and its metabolites were eliminated primarily by the kidneys. By 96 hr after administration, 12% of the total DMPS found in the urine was excreted as the parent drug (10% of the administered dose) and 88% was excreted as disulfide metabolites (74% of the administered dose). The disposition of parent drug was described by a biexponential equation with an elimination half-life of 1.8 hr. By contrast, the elimination half-life of total DMPS was 20 hr. The oral bioavailability of the parent drug was found in a separate study to be 39%. Mercury excretion in healthy volunteers correlated well with the urinary excretion of both the parent drug (r2 = .94) and the disulfide metabolites (r2 = .96).