Bromobenzene metabolism in the rat and guinea pig

The metabolism of bromobenzene was studied in the rat and guinea pig with respect to three considerations: the dose and species dependence of 3-bromophenol excretion; the formation of methylthio analogs of dihydrodiols and catechols; and the identification of acidic bivalent sulfur metabolites. In the guinea pig, 3-bromophenol was the major monohydric phenolic metabolite under conditions of both relatively low and relatively high dosage. In the rat, 3-bromophenol and 4-bromophenol were formed in approximately equal amounts. 2-Bromophenol was a minor metabolite in both species. Methylthio analogs of dihydrodiols were found as guinea pig, but not rat, metabolites. Two di(methylthio)dihydroxytetrahydrobromobenzene metabolites were excreted by the rat but not by the guinea pig. These methylthio compounds have not been reported in earlier studies of bromobenzene metabolism. In the guinea pig, the acidic urinary metabolites were a mercaptoacetate, a mercaptolactate, and a mercapturate. In the rat, the acidic metabolites were a mercapturic acid and premercapturic acids. This species difference in urinary acids indicates a difference in acetylation/deacetylation processes for cysteine conjugates.