Methanol toxicity: treatment with folic acid and 5-formyl tetrahydrofolic acid. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 1980 Oct;4(4):378-83
Date
10/01/1980Pubmed ID
7004236DOI
10.1111/j.1530-0277.1980.tb04835.xScopus ID
2-s2.0-0018928042 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 52 CitationsAbstract
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.
Author List
Noker PE, Eells JT, Tephly TRAuthor
Janis Eells PhD Professor in the Biomedical Sciences department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AnimalsFemale
Folic Acid
Formates
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Leucovorin
Macaca fascicularis
Male
Methanol
Oxidation-Reduction
