Anti-lewisite activity and stability of meso-dimercaptosuccinic acid and 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid.

Meso-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and the sodium salt of 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS) are analogous in chemical structure to dimercaprol (BAL, British Anti-Lewisite). Dimercaprol was among the first therapeutically useful metal chelating agents and was developed originally as an anti-lewisite agent. Either DMSA or DMPS protects rabbits from the lethal systemic action of dichloro(2-chlorovinyl)arsine (29.7 mumols/kg, also known as lewisite. The analogs are active in this respect when given either sc or po. The stability of each of the three dimercapto compounds in distilled H2O, pH 7.0 at 24 degrees, has been examined for seven days. DMSA retained 82% of its mercapto groups, but no titratable mercapto groups remained in the DMPS or BAL solutions. At pH 5.0, however, there was no striking difference in the stability of the three dimercapto compounds (78-87%) over a seven day period. DMSA and DMPS warrant further investigation as water soluble metal binding agents in both in vivo and in vitro experiments.