Cellular injury and carcinogenesis. Inhibition of metabolism of dimethylnitrosamine by aminoacetonitrile.

1. Aminoacetonitrile, a lathyrogenic agent known to decrease the hepatotoxic action of dimethylnitrosamine, inhibited the metabolism of this compound by rats in vivo and by rat liver slices in vitro. 2. Methylation of nucleic acids in rat liver and kidney by dimethylnitrosamine in vivo was inhibited by treatment of the animals with aminoacetonitrile. 3. These findings are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that dimethylnitrosamine requires metabolism to exert its hepatotoxic and carcinogenic action.