Distribution of C 14 -Labeled Aminoacetonitrile in Tissues of Rat,Metabolism and Mode of Elimination. ∗

Abstract

Summary

Aminoacetonitrile, with C¹⁴ in its cyanide group, was synthesized. When this compound was administered to weanling rats, the major portion of the radioactivity was eliminated in the urine, while a minor part appeared in respiratory CO₂. High initial C¹⁴ concentrations were observed in various body tissues. The proportion of this C¹⁴ due to unchanged nitrile decreased fairly rapidly with time. Labeling was found in tissue proteins, and to a lesser extent in liver lipids and glycogen. Also, in rats fed a diet containing isotopic aminoacetonitrile, radioactivity was detected in the sulfated polysaccharides of the enlarged epiphyseal plates of the bones. The presence of C¹⁴ in glycine and serine of liver protein and in urinary creatinine, allantoin, and hippuric acid, indicated an appreciable conversion of the cyanide radical into a carboxyl group. However, the major portion of the C¹⁴-containing metabolites was not identified.