[Effect of oxythiamine and pyrithiamine on thiamine levels in the blood, liver and urine of rats (author's transl)].

Thiamine (T) deficient state and various functional and morphological changes in rat liver were induced, after several days, with T antagonists, oxythiamine (OT) or pyrithiamine (PT), and a thiamine deficient diet (TDD). The relationship between the extent of liver damage and T levels in blood, liver and urine were studied in OT treated rats fed a TDD (OTD group). PT treated rats fed a TDD (PTD group), OT treated rats (OT group), PT treated rats (PT group) and rats fed a TDD (TDD group). The T levels in blood and liver of OT group, PT group, OTD group, PTD group and TDD group were 89% and 91%, 76% and 88%, 25% and 14%, 33% and 16%, 24% and 15% compared with the data in the control group, respectively. Effects of OT or PT on T levels were not remarkable in some cases, and such may be due to the duration time of T antagonists, which was considered to be 3-15 hours in PT treated rats, and 0-18 hours in PT treated rats, as assessed by urinary T measurements. Treatment of T antagonist twice daily is recommended to obtain a definite T deficient state. Our results suggest that the extent of liver damage is related to the T levels in tissue.