Disposition of [14C]secalonic acid D in male mice

Abstract Secalonic acid D is an acutely toxic, teratogenic, and weakly mutagenic mycotoxin, secreted mainly by Penicillium oxalicum in corn. Distribution and excretion of [ 14 C]secalonic acid D were studied in male mice after iv administration of 15 mg/kg. Elimination of [ 14 C]secalonic acid D-derived radioactivity from plasma was biphasic. A rapid phase with a half-life of 24.3 min and a slower phase with a half-life of 20.5 hr were identified. The volume of distribution was equivalent to total body water. Liver, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, and muscle contained major quantities of radioactivity. The concentration of radioactivity in the liver and kidneys exceeded that in plasma at all times beginning 1 hr after administration. Urinary excretion, accounting for 5% of the total radioactivity, was essentially complete by 48 hr after administration. Excretion by the fecal route was predominant with 74% of the administered radioactivity being recovered in the feces by 7 days. High-performance liquid chromatography of bile samples indicated that only 13% of the radioactivity excreted in the bile was accounted for by the parent compound, 10% by sulfate conjugates, and the rest by at least three unidentified organosoluble metabolites. No glucuronides were detected in the bile.