In vivo and in vitro studies with sulfamate sweeteners

The sweet compounds 2-methyl- and 3-methylcyclohexyl- and 2-cyclohexenylsulfamates were fed to Wistar albino rats. The urine (and feces in the case of 2-cyclohexenylsulfamate) was examined for possible amine, ketone, and alcohol metabolites. The total percent of metabolites formed was low and the hexenyl compound gave a particularly small quantity of metabolite. The results with these compounds are compared with those obtained from earlier in vivo studies with cyclamate and other sulfamates. In complementary in vitro studies, the four sweetest sulfamates, namely, cyclamate, cycloheptyl-, cyclooctyl-, and cyclopentylsulfamates were incubated with the cell-free extract of bacteria isolated from the feces of cyclamate fed rats. Some correlation was apparent between these in vitro experiments and previous in vivo studies. Preliminary mutagenicity testing (the Ames test) of some amines (corresponding to the sulfamates studied) has been carried out.