title: Chronic administration of cyanide: urinary excretion of thiocyanate in male and female rats.
abstract: The urinary elimination of thiocyanate was investigated in male and female rats following the chronic administration of potassium cyanide. Female rats dosed at the level of 5 mg KCN/kg once a week and twice a week respectively, displayed no significant difference in the excretion of thiocyanate in urine after periods of up to eight weeks of study. Similarly, male rats that were administered 5 mg/KCN/kg twice weekly showed no significant difference in the amount of thiocyanate excreted. The elimination patterns of thiocyanate in male and female rats showed no significant differences. The results suggest that a substrate saturation phenomenon is not operative with cyanide metabolism at the dosage level of potassium cyanide employed in this study. This is contrary to a previously published study which reported that the urinary excretion of thiocyanate decreased after chronic potassium cyanide administration.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003486:Cyanides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013861:Thiocyanates / Q000652:urine*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003486:Cyanides; D013861:Thiocyanates