Further Studies of Effect of Sulphur Compounds on Production of Diabetes with Alloxan

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Abstract
It has previously been reported that cysteine, glutathione, and thioglycolic acid completely protected rats against a diabetogenic. dose of alloxan (40 mg./kg.). This study has been extended to other sulphur-containing compounds. When British Anti-Lewisite (BAL) was injected intraven. in doses of .36 to .72 mM/kg., immediately preceding a diabetogenic dose of alloxan (40 mg./kg.), all of the rats were protected from diabetes. However, when the BAL was injected in doses of .72 mM/kg. 5 mins. after the alloxan, no protection was observed. Alloxan alone, injected intraven. in doses of 40 mg./kg., produced diabetes in 15 of 15 rats, and the avg. 48-hr. blood sugar value observed was 444 mg./100 ml. Methionine in doses of 2.9 mM/kg. and thiourea in doses of 7.5 mM/kg. did not modify the diabetogenic dose of alloxan. Mole/mole, BAL, which is a disulfhydryl compound, is at least twice as effective in protecting rats against alloxan as is cysteine and glutathione. It is concluded that if the diabetogenic effect of alloxan is due to an inactivation of essential sulfhydryl groups of enzymes, then this sulfhydryl inactivation by alloxan is an irreversible one.

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