Metabolism of diethylstilbestrol by rat liver: a preliminary report.

Aerobic incubation of a misture of E[1,1,1-D3]-3,4;bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-hex-3-ene admixed with an approximately equimolar amount of unlabeled diethylstilbestrol and [ 2-(14)C ] diethylstilbestrol with rat liver homogenates in the presence of NADPH yielded water-soluble metabolites as well as products more and less polar than the starting material. Addition of 5-adenosyl-L-methionine increased the quantity of nonpolar metabolites. Incubation with rat liver microsomes yielded similar results. When polar metabolites from incubation with rat liver microsomes were incubated with catechol O-methyltransferase and S-adenosyl[methyl-3 H]-L-methionine there was conversion to 3H-labeled nonpolar products. Examination of reaction products by means of gas chronatography-mass spectrometry gave evidence for the formation of a dihydroxydiethylstilbestrol, a dihydroxydienestrol, and a monomethoxydiethylstilbestrol.