Toxicity of Sulfanilamide and Diethylene Glycol

Sulfanilamide has gained some prominence in the treatment of various infections caused by the gonococcic, meningococcic, and streptococcic organisms. However, the recent deaths caused by the administration of an elixir made from this drug dissolved in diethylene glycol has cast some doubt on its availability as a therapeutic agent. Some 75 deaths have been reported from the use of this so-called elixir.Toxicity tests were conducted separately with the sulfanilamide and diethylene glycol by using white rats approximately 4 weeks old and weighing from 45 to 60 gm. A mixture of these two substances was also used in the tests. Oral and intraperitoneal administrations were used.The toxic dose of the diethylene glycol in the preliminary experiments was found to be around 12,500 mg. per kilo of body weight when given intraperitoneally. The oral doses to produce death were approximately the same. Recently, several investigators1,2,3 have found diethylene glycol to be toxic for small animals. The toxic doses of th...