Fate of thianthrene in rat

1. Radiolabelled thianthrene was administered by gavage (200 mg/kg body weight) to the adult female Wistar rat following an overnight fast. 2. Faeces was the major route of excretion of radioactivity (62%) with substantial amounts still being voided during the third day (17%). Urinary elimination (26%) peaked during the second and third days and a small amount of radioactivity (7%) remained within the carcass after 4 days. Distribution studies showed that the majority of the compound remained within the gastrointestinal tract. 3. Metabolism was limited to ring hydroxylation with subsequent conjugate formation. Oxidation of the sulphur to form the monosulphoxide and disulphoxide derivatives also occurred. No evidence for cleavage of the ring structures was observed.