Efficacy of Dimercapto Chelatin Agents for the Treatment of Poisoning by Percutaneously Applied Dichloro(2-chlorovinyl)arsine in Rabbits

Abstract

The efficacy of three chelating agents, BAL, DMPS and DMSA has been evaluated in rabbits as treatments for systemic dichloro(2-chlorovinyl)arsine [lewisite] poisoning by the percutaneous route. Chelating agent treatment reduced the incidence and severity of pathological liver changes following lewisite poisoning. There was no marked difference between the three chelating agents for protection against lethality when screened at an equimolar dose of 40 μmol kg-1. The results indicated DMPS and DMSA may prolong survival time compared with BAL. The low toxicity of DMPS and DMSA compared to BAL enabled doses of 160 μmol kg-1 on a more prolonged dosing schedule to be used for DMPS and DMSA. This schedule showed DMPS and DMSA to give a significant improvement in protection against the lethal effects of percutaneous lewisite compared to that of BAL. It was concluded that DMPS and DMSA have significant advantages over BAL for use as treatment for systemic lewisite poisoning.