Excretion of Mercury Following Administration of Mercurial Diuretics with and without Theophylline

Abstract

It has recently been shown that the addition of theophylline to the mercurial diuretics Mercurin and Salyrgan practically prevents their local toxic action12 and promotes their absorption after intramuscular injection.3 Although Mercupurin (Mercurin with theophylline) has been found to have a somewhat greater diuretic efficiency than Salyrgan,4567 it remains to be proven unequivocally, however, that theophylline exerts any influence after the drug has reached the circulation. It was therefore decided to study the excretion of mercury by laboratory animals after the administration of these diuretics with and without theophylline. It is fully realized that results thus obtained cannot necessarily be referred to man. Nevertheless, it was felt that information concerning the pharmacology of drugs of this type could more readily be obtained by using animals whose food, salt and water ingestion could be kept perfectly constant.A total of 24 albino rabbits weighing between 2 and 3 kg were used in these experimen...