Effect of Sodium Diethyldithiocarbamate on Blood Copper-levels and Pregnancy in the Rabbit

Abstract

SWAYBACK is a disease of lambs in which lesions in the white matter of the spinal cord are associated with low levels of copper in the tissues. Mills and Fell¹ reported the experimental production of swayback using a high molybdenum, high sulphate diet. Their results indicated that this diet strongly inhibited the transfer of copper from the ewe to the lamb. Any preparation which facilitates the investigation of demyelination associated with reduced copper-levels in a laboratory animal would be of great value. Můr, Záruba and Charamza² reported a destruction of myelin in rabbits following the repeated intravenous administration of a solution of either α-benzoin-oxime or of diethyldithiocarbamate. The administration of α-benzoin-oxime resulted in a decrease in the blood copper-level in nine out of twelve animals. The effect of diethyldithiocarbamate on the blood copper-level was determined in two rabbits and resulted in a decrease in both. Changes in myelin, particularly in the spinal cord, were recorded after diethyldithiocarbamate had been administered for only three weeks. For these reasons the effect of sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in the rabbit has been further investigated, but it has not been possible, as yet, to confirm the effect on myelin. However, in the course of the work it became clear that sodium diethyldithiocarbamate interfered with the blood copper-level and had a marked effect on pregnancy.