Central effects of cycloheximide alone and of its combination with T-2 toxin.

The antibiotic cycloheximide inhibits protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells. This overall effect is similar to that of T-2 toxin, but the mechanism of intoxication by these two inhibitors are different. This is shown here by intracerebral injections of mixtures of T-2 toxin and cycloheximide, leading to potentiation of their toxic effects. The histopathology of cerebral intoxication by the two compounds is similar, but after cycloheximide the lesions appear earlier, and repair is faster.