Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy of a Cyanide-Neutralizing [Mo2O2(µ-S)2]2+ Based Metallodrug in NMRI Mice.

Hydrogen cyanide gas formation and subsequent contribution to inhalation injuries caused by residential and industrial fires is an increasing concern in public health care. Currently used cyanide antidotes are limited in their routes of administration and mechanisms of action. A potential cyanide antidote based on the [Mo2O2(μ-S)2]2+ core was assessed for its pharmacokinetic behavior and its efficacy in combating acute cyanide poisoning by inhalation in a mouse model. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed rapid absorption of the molybdenum compound into the bloodstream after intraperitoneal injection, and its complete elimination within eight hours. Prophylactic and therapeutic treatments with the compound by itself, and as a catalytic drug co-administered with thiosulfate, resulted in increased survival at lethal hydrocyanic acid concentrations.