In vivo hydroxylation of 3H-acetanilide--evaluation of a new radiospirometric method in the rat.

The proposed in vivo methodology for the investigation of hydroxylation rates consists of of the i.v. administration of tritiated substrates and the collection of tritiated water (HTO) from exhaled air as a measure of HTO accumulation in body water. Specifically, HTO was assessed in exhaled water after i.v. administration of 3H-acetanilide. Over a wide range the half lives of accumulation of HTO in exhaled water (T50) were almost identical with the half lives of elimination of 3H-acetanilide in blood, evaluated by an inverse isotope dilution method (r = 0.96, N = 18). Average T50 amounted to 29 min in controls, was reduced to 20 min after enzyme induction by phenobarbital or 3-methylcholanthrene, and prolonged to 45, 46 and 66 min after bile duct ligation, portacaval shunt and a single dose of ethanol, respectively. It is concluded that the chosen pharmacokinetic approach corrects for the NIH-shift and the results adequately reflect changes in acetanilide hydroxylation related to enzyme induction or inhibition and to liver pathology.