Human assay of three new mercurial diuretic agents; a promising preparation for oral use.

Abstract

ConclusionsThree organic mercurial preparations possessing diuretic activity were assayed by the oral route against the Standard, mercuhydrin solution given intramuscularly, in patients with congestive failure. Of the three materials, the 3-chloro-mercuri-2-methoxy propylurea proved to be the most effective, producing with oral doses a diuretic response equivalent to results obtained by the conventional doses of intramuscular mercuhydrin. The diuretic potency of this compound when given orally is somewhat more than one-fourth of its potency by intramuscular injection, and by the latter route 4.3 times (in milligrams) as potent as intramuscular mercuhydrin. We are not aware of any mercurial diuretic with such a favorable ratio of intramuscular to oral potency, namely 4:1. In the case of the thiol compound we tested in this study, the ratio was 11.1. In another study(7) in which mercuhydrin was tested by the intramuscular and oral routes, this ratio was 24:1. There still remains the problem of gastrointesti...