Pyrazole and methylpyrazole for the treatment of 2-butoxyethanol poisoning.

2-Butoxyethanol (BE) is a one member of a family of ethylene glycol monoalkyl ethers that are used in a variety of industrial and household products. The clinical features of human and animal BE intoxications mainly include metabolic acidosis, CNS depression and coma, hemolytic anemia, hematuria, and renal injury. It is believed that metabolic activation of BE to butoxyacetic acid (BAA) is responsible for these pathologic changes. The treatment of BE poisoning have been based on an inhibition of the metabolic pathway enzymes which convert BE to toxic metabolites. Therefore, a comparison was made between antidotal properties of pyrazole (PY) and 4-methylpyrazole (MP) in rats subcutaneously intoxicated with BE. It was found that both antidotes effectively protected animals against appearance of hemolytic anemia signs induced by BE. MP appears to be more efficient than PY. These data confirm the beneficial role of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) inhibitors in BE intoxication.