F. Bernheim, M. Bernheim
Oct 1, 1938
Citations
0
Influential Citations
23
Citations
Journal
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Abstract
1. The liver of the guinea pig contains an esterase which will hydrolyze homatropine and atropine. The liver of the rat, cat and dog can hydrolyze these drugs very slowly, but the brain, kidney and blood are not active. Rabbit liver and serum usually contain an active enzyme but in approximately one out of every three animals these tissues are inactive. 2. All tissues which hydrolyze these drugs will also hydrolyze ethyl mandelate, but the latter is also hydrolyzed by tissues which are unable to attack homatropine and atropine. 3. Homatropine is always hydrolyzed more rapidly than atropine. The l-isomers of both drugs are preferentially attacked. Scopolamine is hydrolyzed very slowly if at all. 4. The hydrolysis of homatropine and atropine is inhibited by small amounts of physostigmine but ethyl mandelate is not inhibited. Sodium fluoride inhibits equally the atropines and ethyl mandelate. 5. The significance of these results is discussed.