[Oxidation of a naphthenic hydrocarbon, dodecylcyclohexane, in the rat]

Naphthenic hydrocarbons, mainly of fossil origin, are widespread in our environment, and contaminate the food chains; they are also used as food additives. Their fate in mammals is unknown, except for the fact that they are absorbed and accumulate in tissues. Only a few microorganisms have been shown capable or oxidising n-alkyl substituted cycloparaffins. In this study, dodecylcylohexane has been chosen as a typical monocycloparaffin, and has been administered orally to rats. The GLC and GLC-MS analysis of the methylesters of body and hepatic fatty acids led to the identification of cyclohexyldodecanoic and its decanoïc and octanoïc homologs. The alkyl chain undergoes a terminal oxidation followed by the classical beta-oxidation process. After administration of one 200 mg dose, or incorporation of 0.1% of the cycloparaffin in the diet for 2 months, these acids were found at low levels in neutral lipids and phospholipids. Their subsequent metabolic pathway and their possible interaction with the biochemical mechanisms involving phospholipids are under investigation.