The Fate of [¹⁴C]Phenol in Various Species

Abstract

1. [¹⁴C]Phenol has been administered to man (dose, 0.01 mg/kg) and 18 animal species (25 mg/kg) and the urine examined for metabolites by radiochromatogram scanning.

2. In three men 90% of an oral dose was excreted in 24 h mainly as phenylsulphate (77% of 24 h excretion) and phenylglucuronide (16%) with very small amounts of quinol sulphate and glucuronide.

3. Four metabolites, the sulphates and glucuronides of phenol and quinol, were found in the urine of the rodents, the rat, mouse, jerboa, gerbil, hamster, lemming and guinea-pig after an oral dose of phenol.

4. Three metabolites were excreted by some species, namely, phenol and quinol glucuronides and phenylsulphate by the squirrel monkey and capuchin monkey, and phenol and quinol sulphates and phenylglucuronide by the ferret, dog, hedgehog and rabbit.

5. Two metabolites were excreted by the rhesus monkey, fruit bat and hen (phenylsulphate and phenylglucuronide) and by the cat (phenylsulphate and quinol sulphate). One metabolite (phenylglucuronide) only was excreted by the pig.

6. The cat appeared to form no phenylglucuronide and the pig no phenylsulphate, but detailed examination of radiochromatograms showed that the cat did excrete small amounts of the glucuronide and the pig excreted small amounts of the sulphate.

7. In vitro studies with rat and pig liver preparations showed that the rat preparations conjugate phenol with sulphate and glucuronic acid with roughly equal facility, but the pig liver preparations conjugated phenol with glucuronic acid at a much faster rate than with sulphate.