EFFECT OF SULFONAMIDES AND THIOUREA DERIVATIVES ON HEART RATE AND ORGAN MORPHOLOGY

Abstract

Thiourea given to rats .as a 1% soln. in drinking water produced bradycardia, histologic changes in the hypophysis, and atrophy of kidneys, adrenals, and heart, equal in degree to the effects of complete thyroidectomy. Treatment of the rat with sulfathiazole as 1% of the food or thiouracil as 0.1% soln. in drinking water produced similar changes to a lesser degree. Sulfadiazine as 0.1% soln. in drinking water had no significant influence on thyroid function. The only thyroidectomy effect which was not present in the drug-treated groups was the decrease in liver wt. The results are consistent with the assumption that, in the doses employed, thiourea completely suppresses thyroid function, while sulfathiazole and thiouracil inhibit it only partly.