STUDIES ON THE PARENTERAL ADMINISTRATION OF HYDROGEN PEROXIDE

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Abstract
In the past O2 was administered intraven. both to animals and man with varying therapeutic results. H2O2 was also administered intraven. by at least 2 workers. 1 ml. of 3% H2P2 yields about 10 vol.% of O2. The decomposition of H2O2 to O2 and H2O is facilitated by a catalase present in blood. The catalase activity of human and animal bloods was detd. according to the DuBois modification of the method of von Euler and Josephson. The avg. catalase activity of 5 human adults ranged between 22.4 and 36.1 units; the catalase activity of a human infant''s blood was 19.7 u.; and the catalase activity of the blood of various animals ranged from 0.02 to 27 u. It was the highest in cats and rabbits, lower in rats and mice, and lowest in dogs and roosters. When 3% H2O2 was added to equal amts. of human blood, it foamed vigorously, but retained its bright red color, and there was no change in the hematocrit or microscopic appearance of the blood. Rabbit, cat, rat, and mouse blood behaved similarly. Dog and chicken blood, however, did not foam vigorously and rapidly turned dark brown due to met-Hb formation. When H2O2 was injd. intraven. into dogs at a rate equivalent to 1 ml. of O2/kg./min., brownish "cyanosis" developed within 5 mins. without any signs of gas embolism. In a 750 g. rooster, 1.5 ml. of 3% H2O2 given intraven. over 3 mins. caused deep brownish cyanosis and death. The O2 capacity of the blood at death was 5.9 vol %. In cat and rabbit, the tolerance to intraven. H2O2 was limited by the development of gas embolism. Rabbits were more sensitive in this respect than cats. In cats, O2 could be administered twice as fast in the form of H2O2 than in gaseous form. Temporary embolic phenomena and local skin ulcers in about 25% of the cases were the only ill effects observed in 30 young mice which received 0.1 ml.of a 1.5% H2O2 soln. subcut. twice daily. In 2 cats in which hypoxia was induced by the admn. of a 90-10 N2O-O2 mixture, the admn. of intraven. H2O2 aggravated the hypoxia. Intraven. H2O2 had little effect in cats, poisoned with lighting gas, on the elimination of CO. Intraven. H2O2 had little or no effect on cats in shock produced by various chemicals or blood loss.

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