Nitrates vs Nitrites

[Lafakads]

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Quick question, just want to get these two straightened out.

Do nitrates cause Cyanide Toxicity? Or is that just Nitroprusside? And the treatment for Cyanide toxicity is Nitrites + Thiosulfate correct?

And Nitrites cause Methehemoglobinemia and the treatment is Methylblue correct?

Thanks!

 

[ikazmi]

From what I've read, Nitoprusside causes Cyanide Toxicity. And of the Nitrites used to induce MetHb, it is Amyl Nitrite.

 

[dfib slim]

No, nitrates don't cause cyanide toxicity, nitroprusside does because it has CN in the chemical structure.

Tx for cyanide toxicity is treated with amyl nitrite + sodium thiosulfate.

Amyl nitrite does cause methemoglobinemia, that's why it treats CN toxicity, and the treatment for methemoglobinemia is methylene blue.

 

[megaman123]

Uptodate only mentions nitroprusside. It has to do with cyanide being one of its breakdown products not the nitric oxide part associated with nitrates. The rest of what you said is correct. Methehemoglobinemia makes hemoglobin better able to bind to the negatively charged cyanide preventing it from binding to the cytochrome oxidase in the electron transport chain.

 

[Lafakads]

gotcha, thanks all.