Alkylation of Nucleic Acids of Rat Liver and Lung by Deuterated N-Nitrosodiethylamine In Vivo

Summary

The alkylation of nucleic acids of liver, lung, and intestine of the rat in vivo was studied with the use of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), labeled with both tritium and deuterium. 7-Ethylguanine was isolated from the nucleic acids of lung (not a target organ for DEN) and liver, but not from the intestine. The ethylation by DEN did not involve formation of diazoethane as intermediate. A small quantity of a second alkylated base, 7-methylguanine, in the rat liver RNA appeared to arise from a trace of methylethylnitrosamine in both the tritium-labeled DEN and the deuterium-labeled DEN.