[Additional pathway of the metabolic activation of N-nitrosodiethylamine in the rat liver].

A cytosolic enzyme, aldehyde oxidase (AO), was shown to be involved in metabolic activation of carcinogenic diethylamine (DENA). DENA was reduced to corresponding hydrazines by AO in the presence of benzaldehyde. Products of DENA reduction by AO possessed mutagenic activity for Salmonella typhimurium TA 1950. Pretreatment of rats by antioxidant butylhydroxytoluene had no effect on this process of DNA bioactivation.