The effect of guanidine derivatives on tissue respiration

Abstract

The O2 uptake of isolated tissues (pigeon''s brain, rat''s brain, liver, muscle, blood) is significantly depressed by the presence of guanidine or methylguanidine in approximately 0.05% conc. Evidently the general toxic effect of guanidine, leading to the production of symptoms of tetany, is to be ascribed, in part at least, to the depression of tissue metabolism. The O2 consumption was measured by Dixon and Elliot''s modification of the Barcroft apparatus.