METABOLIC-FATE OF N,N-DIBUTYLNITROSAMINE IN THE RAT

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 71  (6) , 863-870
Abstract
The metabolic fate of N,N-dibutylnitrosamine (DBN) was studied in the rat to elucidate the possibility of a correlation between its metabolism and its organotropic carcinogenicity to the urinary bladder and other organs. It was extensively metabolized in the rat, no unchanged DBN being found in the urine. DBN underwent metabolic transformation in at least 3 ways. The major pathways demonstrated on the basis of urinary metabolites were .omega.- and (.omega.-1)-oxidations of 1 butyl chain to give N-butyl-N-(3-carboxypropyl)nitrosamine (BCPN) and N-butyl-N-(3-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine, respectively. The 3rd minor pathway was (.omega.-2)-oxidation of the butyl chain to afford N-butyl-N-(2-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine. Both hydroxylated metabolites were excreted into the urine as such and as their glucuronic acid conjugates. The .omega.-oxidation of DBN to BCPN is responsible for the induction of bladder tumors in rats, while the products of the (.omega.-1)- or (.omega.-2)-oxidation may be involved in tumor induction in the liver.