Abstract
Rats which had received butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) excreted S- (3, 5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl) glutathione (BHT-glutathione) and 3, 5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone (BHQ) glucuronide in the bile. After being separated by high-performance liquid chromatography, the glutathione conjugate was identified by 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance and field desorption mass spectrometry ; the glucuronide was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The structures of BHT-glutathione and BHQ glucuronide were further confirmed by comparison with synthetic samples. The excretion rates of BHT-glutathione and BHQ glucuronide in rat bile were 3.5 and 1.6%, respectively, of the dose in 24h after intraperitoneal administration of BHT at a dose of 400 mg/kg. The occurrence of BHT-glutathione suggests that 2, 6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylene-2, 5-cyclohexadienone, a toxic metabolite of BHT, is detoxified by glutathione conjugation.
