Further studies on the urinary metabolites of 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 2,6-dinitrotoluene in the male Wistar rat

Abstract

1. Conjugates of 2,4-dinitrobenzyl alcohol (2,4-DNB) and 2,6-dinitrobenzyl alcohol (2,6-DNB), which were major urinary metabolites of the male Wistar rat dosed orally with 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) or 2,6-dinitrotoluene (2,6-DNT), were examined by hplc using potassium 2,4-dinitrobenzyl glucuronide (2,4-DNB-G), potassium 2,6-dinitrobenzyl glucuronide (2,6-DNB-G), pyridinium 2,4-dinitrobenzyl sulphate (2,4-DNB-S), and pyridinium 2,6-dinitrobenzyl sulphate (2,6-DNB-S) as authentic compounds. Other metabolites were also examined by hplc.

2. Conjugates detected from urine following administration of 2,4-DNT and 2,6-DNT were 2,4-DNB-G and 2,6-DNB-G, which accounted for about 10.7 and 17.4% of the administered dose respectively. No peaks corresponding to pyridinium 2,4-DNB-S and pyridinium 2,6-DNB-S were detected in urine samples.

3. 2-Amino-4-nitrobenzoic acid (0.71%), 4-amino-2-nitrobenzoic acid (0.52%) and 4-acetylamino-2-nitrobenzoic acid (3.9%), in addition to known metabolites 4-amino-2-nitrotoluene (0.04%), 2,4-DNB (0.25%), 2,4-dinitrobenzoic acid (6.9%) and 4-acetylamino-2-aminobenzoic acid (3.4%), were detected in ether extracts of urine of rat given 2,4-DNT. 2,6-Dinitrobenzoic acid (0.17%) and two known metabolites, 2-amino-6-nitrotoluene (0.44%) and 2,6-DNB (0.53%), were detected in ether extracts of urine of rat given 2,6-DNT.