A simple method for detection and analysis of carcinogenic nitrofuran compounds and their metabolites by combining chromatography and spot mutation tests.

A simple, sensitive, and convenient method combining thin-layer chromatography and a spot test for mutagenicity of Salmonella typhimurium TA100 was utilized for the analysis of urine of rats fed N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl]-formamide (FANFT), a potent experimental urinary bladder carcinogen. Three metabolites of FANFT were detected in urine, and one of these, accounting for 33% of the urinary metabolites of FANFT, was identified as 2-amino-4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)thiazole (ANFT). ANFT was the only urinary metabolite that clearly demonstrated mutagenic activity, suggesting that ANFT may be a proximate vesical carcinogen of FANFT.