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Methanol Toxicity: Treatment With Folic Acid and 5‐Formyl Tetrahydrofolic Acid
Author(s) -
Noker P. E.,
Eells J. T.,
Tephly T. R.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1980.tb04835.x
Subject(s) - methanol , formate , chemistry , methanol poisoning , metabolic acidosis , sodium bicarbonate , toxicity , bicarbonate , acidosis , metabolism , folic acid , biochemistry , pharmacology , organic chemistry , medicine , catalysis
After methanol administration to monkeys, an accumulation of formate in blood occurs coincident with the development of metabolic acidosis and a depletion of blood bicarbonate. Formate metabolism in monkeys depends upon and is regulated by a folate‐dependent system; therefore, the effect of folic acid pretreatment and 5‐formyl tetrahydrofolic acid administration on methanol toxicity was investigated. Treatment of monkeys with repetitive doses of either sodium folate (48, 24, 12, and 4 hr prior to methanol) or 5‐formyl tetrahydrofolic acid (2 mg/kg at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 18 hr after methanol) resulted in a marked decrease in the levels of blood formate and an absence of both metabolic acidosis and depletion of blood bicarbonate following methanol administration. Also, 5‐formyl tetrahydrofolic acid reversed methanol toxicity once it was established in the monkey. The results indicate that folate compounds decrease formate accumulation after methanol by stimulating formate oxidation or utilization and suggest a possible use for folates in the treatment of certain cases of human methanol poisoning.