Search

Species variations in response to urinary bladder carcinogens, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN), N-ethyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (EHBN), and N,N-dibutylnitrosamine (DBN), were investigated in several animal species from the metabolic point of view. Since N-butyl-N-(3-carboxypropyl) nitrosamine (BCPN) and N-ethyl-N-(3-carboxypropyl) nitrosamine (ECPN) had been found to be the principal urinary metabolites which are responsible for the induction of bladder tumors by BBN or DBN and EHBN, respectively, in rats, acidic urinary metabolites with the N-nitroso moiety were isolated and determined by a colorimetric method after oral administration of these nitrosamines to rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, and dogs. Qualitatively almost no species differences were observed among these animals in regard to the urinary metabolites except in the case of mice, in which the glycine conjugate of BCPN was isolated from the urine and identified as the principal metabolite of BBN and DBN. However, appreciable quantitative differences in the urinary excretion of BCPN or ECPN were found among these animal species, indicating that the differences in the susceptibilities of different animal species to urinary bladder carcinogenesis induced by BBN, DBN and EHBN may be closely related to the different extents of urinary excretion of the active metabolites of these nitrosamines.

The effect of age on induction of carcinogenesis by N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine [(BBN) CAS: 3817-11-6] in the urinary bladder epithelium was examined in 130 male and 130 female F344 rats. Rats of both sexes 6, 52, and 98 weeks old were given 0.025% BBN in their drinking water for 20 weeks. Then approximately half the rats were sacrificed, while the rest were maintained without further treatment for 10 weeks. Examination of the rats revealed an age-related increase in the induction of urinary bladder carcinoma, although the total intakes of BBN and urinary excretions of its proximate carcinogen were not age related. Rats treated with BBN at 98 weeks of age developed more squamous cell carcinomas and invasive carcinomas than the 2 younger groups. This study demonstrated an increased risk of urinary bladder carcinogenesis with age in animals.

The urinary metabolic pattern of N-nitrosobutyl(4-hydroxybutyl)amine (NB4HBA) administered ip at a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight was studied in animals either pretreated with butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) as a single oral dose of 50 or 250 mg/kg, or fed a diet containing 0.1 or 0.5% BHA. The 24-hr urinary excretion of NB4HBA, its glucuronic acid-conjugate (NB4HBA-G) and N-nitrosobutyl(3-carboxypropyl)amine (NB3CPA) in control rats were 0.12, 0.75 and 30% of the administered dose, respectively, and were not changed after a single oral dose of 50 mg BHA/kg. NB4HBA-G was significantly reduced in the urine of rats given 250 mg BHA/kg. In vitro assays carried out using rat-hepatic microsomal preparations as the source of the enzyme UDP-glucuronyl transferases (GT) and NB4HBA as the substrate, suggest that a competition between NB4HBA and BHA for the same enzyme may be the cause of the decreased NB4HBA-G excretion observed in vivo. A fourfold increase in NB4HBA-G urinary excretion was observed after chronic 0.5% BHA feeding; moreover, the glucuronic acid-conjugate of NB3CPA (NB3CPA-G), which was not detected in the controls or after acute BHA treatment, appeared in the urine of rats given dietary BHA for 3 wk, accounting for about 10% of the administered NB4HBA. In vitro experiments indicate that the increased glucuronides excretion may be the result of an elevated hepatic GT activity.

The metabolic fate of two urinary bladder carcinogens, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxy-butyl) nitrosamine (BBN) and N-N-dibutylnitrosamine (DBN), was studied in the guinea pig, in order to elucidate species differences of response to these N-nitrosamines in this animal species and the rat. Based on the urinary metabolites characterized after oral administration of these compounds, the metabolic pathways of BBN and DBN in the guinea pig were shown to be essentially similar to those in the rat. The principal urinary metabolite of BBN and DBN in the guinea pig, however, was not N-butyl-N-(3-carboxypropyl) nitrosamine (BCPN), as was the case in the rat, but the glucuronic acid conjugate of BBN and that of N-butyl-N-(3-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine, respectively. The species variation in response to BBN and DBN as bladder carcinogens in these animals is discussed on the basis of the urinary excretion of BCPN.

The metabolic fate and carcinogenicity fo three omega-hydroxy derivatives of N-alkyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamines, potent bladder carcinogens, were investigated in the rat. They were N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine (HEHBN), N-(3-hydroxypropyl)-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (HPHBN), and N-N-bis(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine (BHBN). The principal urinary metabolite of HEHBN as well as HPHBN was identified as the corresponding 3-carboxypropyl compound, while the main metabolite of BHBN was N,N-bis (3-carboxypropyl) nitrosamine, indicating the preferential metabolic oxidation of the 4-hydroxybutyl chain to the 3-carboxypropyl group in the N-(omega-hydroxyalkyl)-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamines. All three N-nitrosamines having the 4-hydroxybutyl chain induced neither bladder tumor nor any tumor in other organs under conditions similar to those used for N-alkyl-N-(4-hydroxy-butyl) nitrosamines. The essential structural and metabolic requirements in N-nitrosamines for the induction of bladder cancer in the rat are discussed.

L-Ascorbic acid, citric acid or their sodium salts (at levels equivalent to 5% sodium L-ascorbate) were fed in the diet simultaneously with N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN) or N-ethyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (EHBN) (0.025% BBN or 0.021% EHBN) in the drinking water to male F344 rats for 20 weeks to determine whether urinary pH changes affect the carcinogenicity of BBN or EHBN. In the urine, pH was decreased in rats fed the acidic chemicals and increased in rats fed their corresponding sodium salts. Histopathologically, the incidences and numbers of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions in groups treated with each test chemical were not different from those in control groups except for sodium citrate-treated groups in which induction of carcinomas was higher, resulting from increased intake of either carcinogen and also from increased urinary excretion of main carcinogenic metabolites. These results show that the test chemicals do not affect the carcinogenicity of BBN or EHBN on the rat urinary bladder when simultaneously administered despite significant differences in urinary pH.

Endogenous formation of N-nitrosodi-n-butylamine (NDBA) was studied in rats after administration of sodium nitrite or sodium nitrate and N,N-dibutylamine (DBA) by monitoring the urinary excretion of NDBA and its metabolites, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)-nitrosamine (BBN) and N-butyl-N-(3-carboxypropyl)nitrosamine (BCPN). Animals were given sodium nitrite (0.2%) or sodium nitrate (0.5%), dissolved in the drinking-water. This treatment was started 24 h before DBA administration and was continued throughout the experiment. Animals were fasted overnight before receiving DBA, which was administered by gavage as three doses of 50 mg/kg, 8 h apart; 24-h urine samples were collected on ammonium sulfamate. NDBA, BBN and BCPN were extracted and analysed by GC-TEA, according to a method previously described. Under the experimental conditions reported, NDBA and BBN (free or glucuronic acid-conjugated) were not detected in the urine of animals given nitrite or nitrate and DBA, but the presence of BCPN indicated that N-nitrosation had occurred in both groups of animals. These results suggest that, when studying nitrosamines that are extensively metabolized, quantitative analysis of urinary metabolites is a better indicator of nitrosamine exposure than measurement of nitrosamine itself.

N-Nitrosodibutylamine and its omega-hydroxylated metabolite N-nitrosobutyl(4-hydroxybutyl)amine (NB4HBA) induce tumors in the urine bladder of different animal species through their common urinary metabolite N-nitrosobutyl(3-carboxypropyl)amine (NB3CPA), resulting from the oxidation of the alcoholic group of NB4HBA to a carboxylic group. NB4HBA disappearance from blood, the formation of its main metabolites, NB3CPA and NB4HBA-glucuronide (NB4HBA-G), and their urinary excretion, were investigated in rats after an i.v. dose of 1 mg/kg (5.7 mumol/kg). NB3CPA and NB4HBA-G formation was readily detectable 2 min after treatment and levels were still measurable at 120 and 30 min, respectively. The parent compound disappeared from blood 90 min after injection. The NB4HBA blood concentration-time profile was adequately described by a one-compartmental linear model. NB4HBA half-life was 8 min, total body clearance and renal clearance were 86.1 and 0.22 ml/min/kg, respectively. The 0-96-h urinary excretion of NB4HBA was 0.3% of the administered dose. NB3CPA half-life was 15 min; NB3CPA and NB4HBA-G urinary excretion were 36 and 11.7%, respectively, urinary excretion of known compounds accounting for less than 50%. After i.v. injection of NB3CPA equimolar to the NB4HBA dose, only 50% of unchanged compound was recovered in the urine and after NB4HBA-G, 41% of the administered dose was excreted unchanged, NB3CPA accounting for 10%. Thus NB3CPA and NB4HBA-G might undergo further biotransformation, suggesting that NB3CPA may not be the ultimate carcinogen responsible for urinary bladder tumor induction.