Identification of two urinary metabolites of rats treated with acrylonitrile; influence of several inhibitors on the mutagenicity of those urines.

Urines collected from rats injected with acrylonitrile (ACN) were mutagenic towards Salmonella typhimurium TA1530; this activity was reduced when the animals were pretreated by pyrazole (inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase) and suppressed after pretreatment either by CoCl2 and SKF 525-A (inhibitors of the mixed-function oxidases system) or by trichloroacetonitrile (radical trapping agent). On the other hand, two urinary metabolites (cyanoethanol and cyanoacetic acid) have been detected by gas chromatography. One possible scheme for the in vivo metabolism of ACN is presented which postulates the intermediate formation of a radical species and of an epoxide.