Antagonism of cyanide poisoning by dihydroxyacetone.

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) effectively antagonized the lethal effect of cyanide in mice and rabbits, particularly if administered in combination with thiosulfate. Oral DHA (2 and 4 g/kg) given to mice 10 min before injection (i.p.) of cyanide increased the LD50 values of cyanide from 5.7 mg/kg to 12 and 17.6 mg/kg, respectively. DHA prevented cyanide-induced lethality most effectively, if given orally 10-15 min before injection of cyanide. A combination of pretreatment with oral DHA (4 g/kg) and post-treatment with sodium thiosulfate (1 g/kg) increased the LD50 of cyanide by a factor of 9.9. Furthermore, DHA given intravenously to rabbits 5 min after subcutaneous injection of cyanide increased the LD50 of cyanide from 6 mg/kg to more than 11 mg/kg, while thiosulfate (1 g/kg) given intravenously 5 min after cyanide injection increased the LD50 of cyanide only to 8.5 mg/kg. DHA also prevented the convulsions that occurred after cyanide intoxication.