Pharmacokinetic studies on the hepatotoxicity of luteoskyrin. (III) quantitative determination of luteoskyrin in the liver.

A method for the quantitative determination of luteoskyrin in mouse liver is described. Luteoskyrin was extracted with ether from the liver homogenate after acidification with with HCl, purified by thin-layer chromatography and determined by spectrophotometry. Five mug of luteoskyrin added to the liver homogenate which was equivalent to one gram tissue was determined with a recovery rate of 97% and 1 mug, under the same conditions, with a recovery rate of 70%. Luteoskyrin in the amount of 0.5 mug could be detected on the chromatogram, but could not be determined quantitatively. A radioactivity corresponding to 0.92 mug/g tissue of 3H-luteoskyrin in the livers from the mice injected intravenously with this compound was extracted into ether with a recovery rate of 93% and separated on the thin-layer chromatogram with a recovery rate of 81%. The lower limit of quantitative determination of luteoskyrin in one gram of liver was 1 mug. Amounts of luteoskyrin in the livers of mice poisoned with this mycotoxin were estimated. Luteoskyrin was recovered in a large quantity in livers from male mice while detection in the liver of females was nil.