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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

A General Method for Detecting Nitrosamide Formation in the In Vitro Metabolism of Nitrosamines by Cytochrome P450s
Published on: September 25, 2017
Pharmacokinetic properties of N-nitrosofenfluramine after its administration to rats
Amal Kaddoumi1, Mitsuhiro Wada, Kenichiro Nakashima
1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Course of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-14 Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki, Japan.
Abstract:
N-nitrosofenfluramine (N-Fen), a synthetic adulterant in Chinese herbal diet products, is believed to cause hepatotoxicity in people who use these products. N-Fen is a relatively new compound, and thus pharmacological and toxicological studies are insufficient. The aim of this work was to (1) define N-Fen's plasma pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution after single intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 25 mg/kg to rats; (2) define its bioavailability; and (3) identify fenfluramine (Fen) and norfenfluramine (Norf) as N-Fen metabolites. N-Fen rapidly appeared in the circulation and was distributed to all tissues. Norf was found to be the primary metabolite and not Fen. Plasma and tissue levels of N-Fen and Norf were low with bioavailability of N-Fen after i.p. administration was <3%. The AUC(0) (-t) of N-Fen in the liver and kidney were 6.6 and 12.1 times, respectively, greater than the brain, and 17.8 and 32.6 times, respectively, greater than the plasma. In conclusion, N-Fen did not show local accumulation in the liver, the site of toxicity, with concentrations represented as percentage of the total dose ranging from 0.008 to 0.122%; hence the cause of hepatotoxicity could be related to the mechanisms other than toxicity consequences accumulation.
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