Effect of Œstradiol Benzoate and Orchidectomy on the Toxicity of Trypan Blue

Abstract

PRISELKOV¹ found that the toxic effect of trypan blue was manifested in guinea pigs by loss of weight and hair, apathetic appearance, fall in hæmoglobin content, accumulation in the blood of large numbers of polychromatophiles and normoblasts and the appearance of erythrocyte decomposition products in many organs. Nicol² pointed out that some animals appeared to be more susceptible to the toxicity of the dye during œstrus. The toxic effect of injections of trypan blue on the tissues has been studied histologically by Downey³, who observed that the cells of connective tissue first showed diffuse staining of the cytoplasm and the nucleus which he considered to be the appearance of dying cells. Many cells died, but some were able to eliminate the dye and recover, except the eosinophiles. The reticulo-endothelial cells, which specifically store the vital dye, are affected in the same manner, and it is probable that the resulting inhibition of the functional capacity of the reticulo-endothelial system is partly responsible for the toxic manifestations of trypan blue.