Toxicology / ©2010 Mark Tuttle
Intoxicant / Dynamics/Symptoms / Kinetics / Antidote
Methanol / -  Formic acid is toxic to the retina & ↓ respiration
-  Depletes NAD+, necessitating Pyruvate à Lactate
ð  Results in anion gap metabolic acidosis /
1.  Metabolized to formic acid via acohol dehydrogenase (fast)
2.  Metabolized to Formate via folate-dependent pathway (slow) / -  Ethanol
-  Fomepizole
o Hella expen$ive
Ethylene glycol / -  Calcium oxalate damages kidneys (stones):
Acute tubular necrosis
-  Depletes NAD+, necessitating Pyruvate à Lactate
ð  Results in anion gap metabolic acidosis
Key to differentiation: lack of eye symptoms / 1.  Metabolized to aldehydes + calcium oxalate
Heavy Metals
Elemental Mercury (vapor) / -  Binds to SH groups in proteins irreversibly
o SH is often in the active site of enzymes
Symptoms:
-  Renal damage
-  Giogivostmatitis: infection of gums
-  CNS effects: visual, muscle tremor, mental / -  Not absorbed through skin, but can be via lungs à CNS toxicity / Chelating agents
-  Compete for binding of the metal via polydentate (multiple atoms binding a central metal) as in heme
1.  EDTA
-   Need IV injection b/c charged
-   Side effects: Zn deficiency, renal damage
i.  Antidote-antidote: Calcium salt
Inorganic Mercury / -  Mostly peripheral damage
o Can’t get into CNS (charged)
Organic Mercury (methylmercury) / -  CAN get into CNS. See worse central symptoms
Lead / Symptoms:
-  Blood: Anemia (due to ↓ heme synth), ↑ membrane fragility, basophilic stippling
-  Nerve: wrist drop, encephalopathy / - 
Arsenic / -  As5+ + As3+ bind ATP à histiotoxic hypoxia
-  As3+ also binds to SH groups (more toxic) / -  / Dimercaprol (BAL - British antilewisite)
-  Needs to be solublized in in peanut oil and injected IM (painful)
-  Two SH groups bind to arsenic
Succimer (Water soluble dimercaprol, less side efx)
Iron / -  Fe3+ à Fe2+ à OH radicals à damage
-  Vitamin C facilitates this / -  / Deferoxamine (IV, IM), excreted in urine
-  Does not remove Iron from cytochrome
Prussian Blue (Also cesium, thalium – dirty bombs)
Copper / -  Geneitic: Wilson’s Disease / -  / Penicilamine
Carbon Poisons
Carbon monoxide / -  Forms CarboxyHb / -  50% COHb @ 1000ppm, smoker: 6% / -  100% O2
Cyanide (ex nitroprusside) / -  Binds Fe3+, inhibiting cytochrome oxidases / o / -  Sodium nitrite (NaNO3) to methHb
-  Sodium thiosolfate to thycyante (prophylactic
-  Hydroxocobolamin to cyanocobolamin (B12) (cobalt)

Bioaccumulation: Intake > metabolism + excretion Biomagnification: When concentration of a contaminant increases as it moves up the food chain.