Metadoxine regulation of elimination of ethanol and its metabolites from the rat’s body

Development of pathogenetic therapy of acute ethanol poisoning is of undoubted interest since such intoxication is often accompanied by a severe course and high lethality. Taking into account the peculiarities of the ethanol pathological action the treatment of such patients involves the use of drugs with the complex neuro- and hepatoprotective effects. Thereby, the studies for searching new pharmaceutical agents with a wide range of the pharmacological activity and economic availability continue. For a long time the object of researchers’ attention is the chemical compound – pyridoxineL-2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylate (metadoxine). Till this moment a large number of the experimental data showing a diverse pharmacological profile of the drug action (antioxidant, antisteatotic, anti-inflammatory, antifibrotic, neurotropic) has been accumulated. Paying attention to the facts mentioned above our attention was focused on the detoxification action of metadoxine. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the effect of metadoxine on the rate of excretion of ethanol and its metabolites in white rats in a preventive single introduction of the drug. The parameters of excretion of acetaldehyde, acetate and the unchanged ethanol with urine and feces have been chosen as a criterion for assessing the effectiveness of the process. Excretion of ethanol by lungs and sweat glands has not been studied because of a negligible contribution of these pathways in the process of ethanol elimination. It has been determined that intraperitoneal introduction of metadoxine in the dose of 200 mg/kg 30 min prior ethanol introduction (orally in the dose of 1 g/kg) accelerates the rate of elimination of ethanol and its metabolites (acetaldehyde and acetate) in rats.