What weight loss supplement, labelled as extremely dangerous and not fit for human consumption in 1938, continues to be used today and has similar toxicological mechanism to salicylate toxicity?
Dinitrophenol (DNP)
Dinitrophenol, like aspirin, decouples oxidative phosphorylation. The energy that no longer can be made into ATP is then converted to heat, leading to complete disruption of thermoregulatory homeostasis and extreme hyperthermia. Over 60 deaths published in medical literature have been attributed to DNP.
Lu YQ et al. Clinical features and treatment in patients with acute 2,4-dinitrophenol poisoning. J Zhejian Univ Sci B 2011; 12(3): 189-192. doi: 10.1631/jzus.B1000265
Submitted by: Abigail Sharpe, PharmD on behalf of the Acute and Intensive Care Section