Comparative metabolism and disposition of [14C-benzyl] cypermethrin in quail,rat and mouse

The excretion and metabolism of cis + trans-¹⁴C-benzyl] cypermethrin has been compared in quail, rat and mouse. Radioactivity was rapidly eliminated by quail dosed orally with ¹⁴C]cypermethrin (2 mg kg^?1), as was the case in the rat and the mouse. When the birds were dosed intraperitoneally (IP) with the ¹⁴C-labelled pyrethroid, radioactivity was excreted more slowly than after oral dosing, and almost 20% of the IP dose of ¹⁴C remained in the tissues after 7 days. Both mammalian species excreted ¹⁴C]cypermethrin more rapidly than did the avian species after IP administration, and less than 6% of the dose remained in their tissues after several days. The biotransformation of the pyrethroid was more complex in the avian species (34 metabolites) than in the two mammals (some 10 metabolites in each species). In quail the predominant reactions were ester bond cleavage of cypermethrin together with either aromatic hydroxylation or amino acid conjugation of the 3-phenoxybenzyl moiety. The hydroxylated derivatives were eliminated mainly as sulphates. 3-Phenoxybenzoic acid was conjugated with a variety of amino acids including glycine, taurine, glutamic acid, serine, α-N-acetylornithine and the dipeptide glycylualine. The last two conjugations are unique to avian species. The major metabolite of cypermethrin in the rat was the sulphate conjugate of 3-(¹⁴-hydroxyphenoxy)benzoic acid, whereas in the mouse the major products were 3-phenoxybenzoic acid and its taurine conjugate. Thus, in the mammalian species where hydroxylation was maximal, amino acid conjugation was a minor metabolic route und vice versa. However, in the quail, aromatic hydroxylation and amino acid conjugation of the 3-phenoxybenzyl moiety of cypermethrin were both major reactions. The influence of the rates and sites of metabolism, and of the enzymology of amino acid conjugation, in determining this species difference are discussed. The rapid metabolism of cypermethrin to a variety of polar conjugates that are readily excreted, together with the low brain sensitivity of birds compared with mammals to its neurotoxic effects, explains the low acute toxicity of this pyrethoid to avian species.