Nitrosation of quaternary ammonium compounds in vivo in the Wistar rat

Animals dosed orally with nitrite (1.5 X 10(-3) mol/kg) and nonyl dimethylbenzylammonium bromide (2.9 X 10(-4) mol/kg) exhibit liver damage within two hours; cetyl trimethylammonium bromide plus nitrite was not significantly hepatotoxic. Both nonyl dimethylbenzyl ammonium bromide and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide were demethylated by rat-liver microsomal preparations; substrate concentrations of 1 mM or more were inhibitory. Bile from rats given i.p. doses of cetyl trimethylammonium bromide, nonyl dimethylbenzylammonium bromide or dodecyl dimethylbenzylammonium bromide contains only metabolites, no unchanged compounds were detected.