Rapid formation of N-hydroxymethylpentamethylmelamine by mitochondria from rat small intestinal epithelium.

Isolated rat intestinal mitochondria showed a considerable capacity to convert hexamethylmelamine to its monodemethylated metabolite pentamethylmelamine. Mitochondrial turnover rate is about the same as compared with microsomal preparations. Only in mitochondrial incubations N-hydroxymethylpentamethylmelamine could be identified as a metabolic intermediate. The known chemical reactivity of carbinolamines means that this activation pathway in mitochondria could be involved in the pharmacological or toxic effects of hexamethylmelamine.