Early adventures in drug metabolism. 3. Chloramphenicol.

The saga of our early experiences with drug metabolism studies in the Parke-Davis Research Laboratories continues with a brief resume of the behavior of chloramphenicol under unusual clinical conditions and a consideration of the toxic effects of this drug and its metabolites in laboratory animals and in humans. The dose-related reversible effects of chloramphenicol upon the ferrokinetic pattern and cellular respiration are clearly separated from its nonreversible effects on the bone marrow cells of susceptible individuals. A number of possible research approaches are suggested for the exploration of these problems.