Acute experimental poisoning by diethylene glycol: acid base balance and histological data in male rats.

Acute intoxication by diethylene glycol (LD 50) in male rats is associated with a severe metabolic acidosis which is significantly decreased by intraperitoneal (IP) hydration or IP alkalinization and eliminated by IP ethanol. Tubular necrosis and deposit of calcium oxalate crkystals constitute the histological renal lesions in 50% of rats given diethylene glycol with or without IP hydration. Groups with massive IP alkalinization and/or IP ethanol do not present any renal lesion. It could be inferred that diethylene glycol has the same metabolic pathway as ethylene glycol and the treatment of acute intoxication by diethylene glycol should be the same as that of acute poisoning by ethylene glycol.