Bumisuka.com – Why Fomepizole Can Neutralize Toxins Ethylene Glycol. Cases of acute kidney disorders in children are still increasing in a number of regions in Indonesia. Acute kidney disorders most commonly attack toddlers.
Reportedly, cases of atypical progressive acute kidney disease in children today can be treated with fomepizole. Citing an explanation from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fomepizole is an antidote or antidote to ethylene glycol poison. So, why fomepizole can neutralize the poison ethylene glycol?
1. Get to know ethylene glycol
The CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) explains that ethylene glycol in the body is metabolized in the liver. The presence of ethylene glycol is converted by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase into glycoaldehyde.
Citing the Drug Bank’s explanation, ethylene glycol will first be metabolized to glycoaldehyde, then undergo further oxidation into glycolate, glyoxylate, and oxalate metabolites.
The various metabolites produced are substances that are toxic. The presence of glycolic acid and oxalic acid metabolites can cause metabolic acidosis and kidney damage.
2. Get to know fomepizole
Reported by RxList, fomepizole has the chemical name 4-methylpyrazole. Fomepizole has a molecular formula of C4H6N2 and a molecular weight of 82.1.
Fomepizole is an antidote used to treat ethylene glycol poisoning. Apart from being an antidote for ethylene glycol, fomepizole can also be used to treat methanol poisoning. Fomepizole is sometimes used in conjunction with hemodialysis to cleanse the blood of toxins.
3. Advantages of fomepizole
Fomepizole has several advantages when compared to other antidotes, so it is used to treat ethylene glycol poisoning. Some of the advantages of fomepizole over other antidotes include:
- Easier to use.
- Has a slower elimination speed.
- The duration of work in the body is longer.
- Fewer potential side effects.
- The way of administration or giving is easier.
- Shorter hospitalization time.
- Does not cause central nervous system depression or hypoglycemia.
4. Why can fomepizole neutralize ethylene glycol?
Before use, fomepizole must be dissolved first with the solvent. Fomepizole is used as an antidote to ethylene glycol poisoning. Citing the explanation of RxList, the antidote can be used alone or in combination with hemodialysis.
Medscape and Drug Bank explained that fomepizole works by inhibiting the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme, an enzyme that catalyzes or reacts to convert ethylene glycol into harmful metabolites. By inhibiting the metabolism of ethylene glycol, harmful metabolites are not produced.
5. Fomepizole given to some children showed improvement
The Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin on the Press Conference: The Development of Acute Kidney Disorders in Indonesia which was broadcast on the Ministry of Health’s YouTube channel explained that there was already an antidote or antidote for cases of acute kidney disorders in children, namely fomepizole. The fomepizole is planned to be imported from Singapore.
Administration of fomepizole to patients at the National Central General Hospital Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo (RSCM) showed some improvement and some remained stable. This shows the administration of fomepizole to be hopeful for children who are being treated for atypical progressive acute kidney disease.
Fomepizole is an antidote used to treat ethylene glycol poisoning. This antidote works by inhibiting the enzyme that converts ethylene glycol into harmful metabolites. By inhibiting the metabolism of ethylene glycol, harmful metabolites are not produced.