Blood and urine concentrations of free and hydrolyzed sulfones in leprosy patienmts under treatment

ABSTRACT

A total of 275 determinations of the concentrations of free and hydrolized sulfones in the blood and urine were made in 137 patients over a period of three months. Analyses were made 24 hours after the last dose, and after a rest period of 14 days. In all of the 43 patients under promin treatment, the drug existed in the blood in the free form only, while in the urine it was found in both the free annnd conjugated forms after the 14-day rest period. The ratio between the free and conjugated drug in the urine varied considerably in different individuals. Of the 55 patients taking diasone, 26, or 47.3 per cent, showed conjugation of the drug in the blood 24 hours after the last dose, while in 29, or 52.7 per cent, there was no conjugation in the blood. No form of the drug was present in the blood of any of the patients after a rest period of 14 days. Conjugation in the urine occurred in 52 of the cases, 24 hour after the last oral dose and after the rest period. Concentrations of free and conjugated sulphetrone were noted in the blood and urine in the 15 cases studied, 24 hours after the last dose. This drug was not present in the blood after the rest period. Conjugation of sulphetrone in the urine occurred in 8 of the cases after the rest period, while free sulphetrone was eliminated in all of the cases. When the bloods and urines of 24 patients receiving promacetin were analyzed by directdiazotization and by acid hydrolysis the values for free and total sulfone were identical, which indicates that this drug was unaltered in the body of the patients studied.