XII. PHARMACOLOGY 577 



on the isolated intestine but seemed without effect on uterine contractions 

 induced by posterior pituitary extracts. Alechinsky^^ found that 100 mg. of 

 nicotinamide would protect guinea pigs against one MLD of histamine. 

 Frommel and associates"" tested a number of nicotinamide derivatives 

 against histamine aerosol in guinea pigs. None of the compounds had 

 greater efficacy than nicotinamide itself, although others have found it less 

 effective than sodium nicotinate."^ Nicotinamide has also been reported to 

 modify the systemic effects of histamine and to decrease the local effect 

 of histamine on skin.^- 



Nicotinic acid and nicotinamide increased the force of contraction of the 

 isolated intestine of rabbits."^ A number of esters of nicotinic acid have 

 been studied for their spasmolytic potency on smooth, cardiac and striped 

 muscle."^ Both nicotinic acid and nicotinamide have been found to antago- 

 nize curare and to reinforce the action of acetylcholine on the gastrocnemius 

 and soleus muscles of anesthetized cats. Nicotinic acid antagonized whereas 

 nicotinamide reinforced the action of prostigmine in this type of prepara- 

 tion.^^ Nicotinic acid has been reported to shorten the period of spasms in 

 mice given strychnine and to give some protection against metrazole shock 

 in rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs"® and in dogs." 



I. OTHER EFFECTS 



There are a number of reports dealing with unexpected effects of nico- 

 tinic acid administration in man and animals which have not been studied 

 extensively enough for their significance to be determined. These are reduc- 

 tion in electrical excitability of the cerebral cortex in dogs"^; increased 

 absorption and increased blood levels of iron"^- ''''; prevention and treatment 

 of bromidism in man and dogs;^^ changes in blood electrolytes;^^- ''^ counter- 

 's A. Alechinsky, Compt. rend. soc. biol. 141, 524 (1947). 

 60 E. Frommel, A. Bischler, I. T. Beck, F. Vallette, and M. Favre, Intern. Z. Vitamin- 



forsch. 19, 193 (1947). 

 " E. Ginoulhiac and F. Semenza, Acta Vitaminol. 3, 20 (1949). 

 52 U. Butturini, Giorn. din. med. (Parma) 27, 681 (1946). 

 3 R. Savini, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 24, 819 (1948). 



" R. Charonnat, L. Chevillard, H. Giono, M. Harispe, and J. V. Harispe, Ann. 

 pharm. frang. 6, 489, 490 (1948). 



65 F. Valenzuela and F. Huidobro, /. Pharmacol. Exptl. Therap. 92, 1 (1948). 



66 N. V. Sapezhinskaya, Farmakol. i Toksikol. 10, 11 (1947) [C. A. 42, 3081 (1948)]. 

 6' Q. Calabro and R. Savini, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 24, 823 (1948). 



68 R. Savini, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 24, 822 (1948). 



69 A. Lattanzi, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 24, 561 (1948); Intern. Z. Vitaminforsch. 21, 

 307 (1949). 



^6 L. Marinelli and C. Tramontana, Giorn. din. med. (Parma) 31, 152 (1950). 

 '1 R. S. Harris and P. S. Derian, Southern Med. J. 42, 973 (1949). 

 " L. Biana, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 15, 1051, 1054 (1940). 

 M. Sacca, Boll. soc. ital. biol. sper. 22, 477 (1946). 



