The formation of 2-chlorobenzamide upon hydrolysis of the benzoylphenylurea insecticide 1-(2-chlorobenzoyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl) urea in different water systems

It has been reported that 1-(2-chlorobenzoyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl) urea (CCU), an insect growth regulator, has no measurable toxicity to nontarget organisms and is essentially harmless to humans. However, one of its degradation products, 2-chlorobenzamide (CBA), is suspected of being a carcinogen. Therefore, the maximum concentration of CBA formed and the dynamics of its formation need to be given careful attention after CCU is used in the field. This paper describes the degradation of CCU to form CBA in three different water systems (distilled water, spring water, and simulated seawater) and the effects of temperature on the dynamics of CBA formation. The results indicate that the maximum level of CBA concentration is different in the different systems (highest in spring water) and that the temperature has a significant impact on the process (higher temperature leads to higher and earlier peak of CBA concentration). The maximum concentration of CBA after application of CCU was approximately 3.8% of the initial concentration of CCU at 35 degrees C in distilled water, and 2.4% in spring water at 25 degrees C.     

Calculation of the peak concentration of 2-chlorobenzamide generated in the hydrolysis of the benzoylphenylurea insecticide 1-(2-chlorobenzoyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)urea

1-(2-chlorobenzoyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)urea (CCU), a new analogue of diflubenuron and PH-6038, has been widely used in agriculture and forestry as a molt-inhibiting hormone insecticide which was developed in China. 2-Chlorobenzamide, a main degradation product of CCU in the environment, has been identified as a potential carcinogen, so the content of 2-chlorobenzamide from the breakup of CCU will directly affect the environmental safety of CCU. In this paper we describe a simple, rapid, and convenient prediction model for predicting the level and time of occurrence of the peak concentration of 2-chlorobenzamide in the hydrolysis of CCU verified by experimental data. The time for reaching the peak concentration of 2-chlorobenzamide (tm) at 25 degrees C and pH 6 is 13.5 d, and the maximum concentration of 2-chlorobenzamide (ym) is 3.2% of the initial concentration of CCU according to the results from the prediction model. These results are similar to the real values from the experiments, which are 22 d and 1.6% of the initial concentration of CCU, respectively. The difference between the values of the prediction and experiment is discussed, and it is demonstrated that the predicting model is highly credible.     

Degradation studies on benzoxazinoids. Soil degradation dynamics of (2R)-2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-4-hydroxy-(2H)- 1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIBOA-Glc) and its degradation products, phytotoxic allelochemicals from Gramineae

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has been found to possess allelopathic potential and studies have been conduced to apply wheat allelopathy for biological weed control. 2,4-Dihydroxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIBOA) is a common product found in wheat, corn, and rye exudates and it can be released to the environment by that way. In this report, the stability of DIBOA is studied in two soils from crop lands of wheat cv. Astron and cv. Ritmo. These varieties were selected by their concentrations of DIBOA and 2,4-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-(2H)-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (DIMBOA) from aerial parts and by the bioactivities of their aqueous extracts in the growth of wheat coleoptile sections. The degradation rate of DIBOA in these soils was measured in laboratory tests during 90 h by high-pressure liquid chromatography methods. These analyses demonstrate that DIBOA was transformed primarily into 2-benzoxazolinone (BOA). This transformation was similar in both soil types with an average half-life of 43 h. The degradation studies for BOA show its biotransformation to 2-aminophenoxazin-3-one (APO) with a half-life of 2.5 days. Therefore, BOA is an intermediate product in the biotransformation from DIBOA to APO in these wheat crop soils and is consistent with previous findings. APO was not degraded after three months in soil, suggesting that its degradation rate in soil is very slow.     

N-Nitrosation of myosmine yields HPB (4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone) and NNN (N-nitrosonornicotine)

N-Nitrosonornicotine (NNN) is formed by synthetic or biological N-nitrosation of the tobacco alkaloid nornicotine. Following metabolic activation of NNN, DNA and protein adducts are formed releasing 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (HPB), an actual biomarker to differentiate between tobacco smokers and passive smokers. NNN and HPB can be prepared in a new one-step reaction by N-nitrosation of the nicotinoid myosmine which has been found not only in tobacco but also in nut products. The reaction was tested also in human gastric juice. The formation rate of NNN and HPB depends on the pH value in the reaction solutions. This is important under the aspect of myosmine uptake by humans from other biological sources and subsequent biological activation. The new reaction pathway indicates that human exposure to nicotinoid nitrosation products seems to be not restricted exclusively to tobacco.     

Quantitation of the nitrosamine 2-ethylhexyl-4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosoamino) benzoate (NPABAO) in sunscreen products.

We have devised a method to quantitate the nitrosamine, 2-ethylhexyl-4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosoamino) benzoate (NPABAO), in commercial products containing the sunscreen ingredient, Padimate O. The method involves a minimum of cleanup steps to afford a nonaqueous extract from product emulsions suitable for analysis by a liquid chromatograph interfaced to a thermal energy analyzer (LC/TEA). The method is applicable to lotions, creams, and gels. Oils are normally soluble in the mobile phase and can be analyzed directly on the LC/TEA without additional cleanup procedures. The method has a minimum detectable limit of about 30 ppb and yields greater than 80% recovery. It is highly reproducible and generates no NPABAO artifactually prior to quantitation on the LC/TEA. Application of the method to 22 different commercial product formulas disclosed that the level of NPABAO in each of the products is below 250 ppb, with 18 of the products containing less than 100 ppb. Of interest was the observation that musk ketone, a common fragrance constituent, produces a false-positive TEA response that can interfere with accurate analysis of NPABAO content in typical commercial products.     

Characterization of fumonisin B(1)-glucose reaction kinetics and products

The reaction of fumonisin B(1) with the reducing sugar D-glucose can block the primary amine group of fumonisin B(1) and may detoxify this mycotoxin. A method to separate hundred milligram quantities of fumonisin B(1)-glucose reaction products from the excess D-glucose with a reversed-phase C(18) cartridge was developed. Mass spectrometry revealed that there were four primary products in this chain reaction when fumonisin B(1) was heated with D-glucose at 65 degrees C for 48 h: N-methyl-fumonisin B(1), N-carboxymethyl-fumonisin B(1), N-(3-hydroxyacetonyl)-fumonisin B(1), and N-(2-hydroxy, 2-carboxyethyl)-fumonisin B(1). The N-(1-deoxy-D-fructos-1-yl) fumonisin B(1) (fumonisin B(1)-glucose Schiff's base) was detected by mass spectrometry when fumonisin B(1) was heated with D-glucose at 60 degrees C. The nonenzymatic browning reaction of fumonisin B(1) with excess D-glucose followed apparent first-order kinetics. The activation energy, E(a), was 105.7 kJ/mol. Fumonisin B(1) in contaminated corn could precipitate the nonenzymatic browning reaction with 0.1 M D-glucose at 60 and 80 degrees C.     

Metabolism of 7-fluoro-6-(3,4,5,6-tetrahydrophthalimido)-4- (2-propynyl)-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (S-53482) in rat. 1. Identification of a sulfonic acid type conjugate

To examine the metabolic fate of 7-fluoro-6-(3,4,5, 6-tetrahydrophthalimido)-4-(2-propynyl)-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3( 4H)-one (S-53482), rats were given a single oral dose of [phenyl-(14)C]-S-53482 at 1 (low) or 100 (high) mg/kg. The radiocarbon was almost completely eliminated within 7 days after administration in both groups. (14)C recoveries (expressed as percentages relative to the dosed (14)C) in feces and urine were 56-72 and 31-43%, respectively, for the low dose and 78-85 and 13-23%, respectively, for the high dose. S-53482 and seven metabolites were identified in urine and feces. Six of them were purified by several chromatographic techniques and identified by spectroanalyses (NMR and MS). Alcohol derivatives and an acetoanilide derivative were isolated from urine. Three sulfonic acid conjugates having a sulfonic acid group incorporated into the double bond of the 3,4,5,6-tetrahydrophthalimide moiety were isolated from feces. On the basis of the metabolites identified in this study, the metabolic pathways of S-53482 in rats are proposed.     

Identification of oxidation products of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate and (-)-epigallocatechin with H(2)O(2)

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and (-)-epigallocatechin (EGC) are two important antioxidants in tea. They also display some antitumor activities, and these activities are believed to be mainly due to their antioxidative effects. However, the specific mechanisms of antioxidant action of tea catechins remain unclear. In this study are isolated and identified two novel reaction products of EGCG and one product of EGC when they were reacted separately with H(2)O(2). These products are formed by the oxidation and decarboxylation of the A ring in the catechin molecule. This study provides unequivocal proof that the A ring of EGCG and EGC may also be an antioxidant site. This study also indicates an additional reaction pathway for the oxidation chemistry of tea catechins.     

Reinvestigation of the reaction between 2-furancarboxaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone

The reaction between 2-furancarboxaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone was reinvestigated as a part of a systematic study on low molecular weight colored compounds from the Maillard reaction. In acetic acid/piperidine, besides 2-(2-furanylmethylene)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone (1) and 5-[2-(2-furanyl)ethenyl]-2-(2-furanylmethylene)-4-hydroxy-5-methyl -3( 2H)-furanone (2), four novel compounds, 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b, were isolated and characterized. These compounds are produced from two molecules of furanone 1 and one molecule of 2-furancarboxaldehyde, and a mechanism is proposed for their formation. Compounds 1, 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b are formed also by reacting 2-furancarboxaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone in water at pH 3 and 2, whereas 2 was never detected. The formation of these compounds was studied also in xylose/lysine and xylose/glycine model systems.     

Synthesis of (-)-[4-3H]epigallocatechin gallate and its metabolic fate in rats after intravenous administration

Because a great deal of attention has been focused on the metabolism of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg), quantitative analysis of this compound is required. For this purpose we developed a method of chemical synthesis of [4-(3)H]EGCg. Synthesized [4-(3)H]EGCg showed 99.5% radiochemical purity and a specific activity of 13 Ci/mmol. To clarify the excretion route of EGCg, the radioactivity levels of bile and urine were quantified after intravenous administration of [4-(3)H]EGCg to bile-duct-cannulated rats. Results showed that the radioactivity of the bile sample excreted within 48 h accounted for 77.0% of the dose, whereas only 2.0% of the dose was recovered in the urine. The excretion ratio of bile to urine was calculated to be about 97:3. These results clearly showed that bile was the major excretion route of EGCg. Time-course analysis of the radioactivity in blood was also performed to estimate the pharmacokinetic parameters following intravenous administration of [4-(3)H]EGCg. In addition, EGCg metabolites excreted in the bile within 4 h after the intravenous dose of [4-(3)H]EGCg were analyzed by HPLC. The results showed that 4',4"-di-O-methyl-EGCg was present in the conjugated form and made up about 14.7% of the administered radioactivity.     

Metabolism of 7-fluoro-6-(3,4,5,6-tetrahydrophthalimido)-4- (2-propynyl)-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one (S-53482, flumioxazin) in the rat: II. Identification of reduced metabolites

On single oral administration of (14)C-S-53482 [7-fluoro-6-(3,4,5, 6-tetrahydrophthalimido)-4-(2-propynyl)-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3( 4H)-one, Flumioxazin] labeled at the 1- and 2-positions of tetrahydrophthaloyl group to rats at 1 (low dose) or 100 (high dose) mg/kg, the radiocarbon was almost completely eliminated within 7 days after administration in both groups with generally very low residual (14)C tissue levels. The predominant excretion route was via the feces. The major fecal and urinary metabolites involved reduction or sulfonic acid addition reactions at the 1,2-double bond of the 3,4,5,6-tetrahydrophthalimide moiety and hydroxylation of the cyclohexene or cyclohexane ring. One urinary and four fecal metabolites were identified using chromatographic techniques and spectroanalyses (NMR and MS). Three of five identified metabolites were unique forms, reduced at the 1,2-double bond of the 3,4,5, 6-tetrahydrophthalimide moiety. On the basis of the metabolites identified in this study, the metabolic pathways of S-53482 in rats are proposed. To specify tissues forming reduced metabolites, an in vitro study was conducted. Reduction was found to take place in red blood cells.