Investigation of possible endogenous formation of furan in Fischer-344 rat

Abstract

A sensitive headspace solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analytical procedure was used to determine the furan content in blood and liver tissue. The method was employed to investigate in vivo metabolism leading to possible furan formation by feeding both ¹³C labeled and unlabeled (native) ascorbic acid, linoleic acid ethyl ester, or glucose to Fischer-344 rats. Rats were fed via oral intubation 0.16–0.96 g of a test compound in two 3 h intervals, and sacrificed 6 h later. The liver and blood tissues were collected and analyzed for the presence of furan. No significant formation of ¹³C labeled or native furan was observed from the substrates tested. Only minute traces attributable to ¹³C labeled furan were detected in blood and liver of rats fed ascorbic acid or linoleic acid ethyl ester but not glucose. Native furan was found in tissues of all animals tested. However, animals administered orally d₄-furan at doses similar to those expected from the contribution of native furan in rat feed, showed no detectable levels of d₄-furan. Data indicate the possibility that there is an endogenous formation of furan from substrates other than those tested in this study.

Keywords:

• furan
• formation
• endogenous
• rat
• tissue
• SPME
• GC/MS

Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to Donald Demers and Genevieve L’Ecuyer, Health Canada, for their help with animal experiments.