Effects of Long-Term Administration of Lithium and Hydrochlorothiazide in Rats

The biochemical and histological changes following 60 days administration of daily doses equivalent to 1/20 LD50 of lithium lactate and hydrochlorothiazide, as such and in association, were studied in male Wistar rats. No mortality or overt signs of toxicity were observed during the experiment and the serum activities of transaminases, alkaline phosphatase and cholinesterase were not significantly modified compared to controls. The histopathological examination of all the investigated organs: kidney, liver, brain and spleen, revealed significant lesions which were time-dependant and more pronounced in the association group. Although the changes were mostly inflammatory and conqestive, it was proved that the concomitant administration of lithium and hydrochlorothiazid is potentially dangerous, increasing lithium’s nephrotoxicity and the thiazide diuretic's hepatotoxicity.

Lithium Isotope Effects in Cation Exchange Chromatography of Lithium Lactate in Water-Dimethyl Sulfoxide and Water-Acetone Mixed Solvent Media

Lithium isotope separation by ion exchange displacement chromatography of lithium lactate in water-dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and water-acetone mixed solvent media at 25 °C was explored. In both the water-DMSO and water-acetone system, the single stage isotope separation factor (S) was a convex function of the mixing ratio of the solvents in the external solution phase; S had its maximum value of 1.00254 at water: DMSO = 25:75 v/v and 1.00182 at water: acetone = 75:25 v/v. Strong correlations of S with solvent partitions between the solution and the exchanger phases were found in both systems, which was qualitatively explainable by considering the lithium isotope distributions between the two phases based on the fundamental lithium isotope effects and the relative affinities of water, DMSO and acetone towards the lithium ion.