Pyruvic acid protects against the lethality of sulfide.

The efficacy of pyruvic acid in protecting mice against the lethal effects of sodium sulfide was examined. Pyruvic acid (1 g/kg, i.p.) reduced the mortality of sodium sulfide (100 mg/kg, i.p.) from 100% to 5% when administered 15 min prior to the sulfide. The protective effect of pyruvic acid decreased over time but was still present at 20 min and 30 min, with 40% and 50% mortality, respectively. The lethality of sulfide in larger mice was less than that in smaller mice when the doses were normalized for body weight, but the protection factor of the pyruvic acid, approximately 2.0, was the same for both sizes.