Drug metabolism and disposition : the biological fate of chemicals
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Drug Metab. Dispos. · Feb 1996
Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of N,N-diethyl-M-toluamide in the rat.
This study was conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetic parameters of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of the personal insect repellent N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) after oral or dermal administration of [14C]DEET in the rat. Six experiments were conducted using separate groups, each consisting of five male and five female rats. Three experiments involved the determination of ADME patterns after oral administration of [14C]DEET as: 1) a single low dose (100 mg DEET/kg body weight); 2) a single high dose (500 mg DEET/kg body weight); and 3) a repeated low dose (100 mg DEET/kg body weight daily for 14 days). ⋯ Two major urinary metabolites were identified by mass spectroscopy. In both metabolites, the aromatic methyl substituent in the DEET molecule was oxidized to a carboxylic acid moiety. One of the metabolites also had undergone N-dealkylation of an ethyl substituent on the amide moiety.