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2241030 
Journal Article 
Metabolism of glyceryl trinitrate to carbon dioxide by rats 
Dicarlo, FJ; Haynes, LJ; Melgar, MD; Crew, MC 
1968 
Yes 
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
ISSN: 0006-291X
EISSN: 1090-2104 
NIOSH/00131896 
31 
5 
738-742 
English 
4969861 
The metabolism of glycerol (56815) and glyceryl-trinitrate (55630) was examined in rats. Female Wistar-rats were administered 2 milliliters (4.06 milligrams per kilogram) of carbon-14 labelled glycerol by gavage. The rats were placed in a metabolic cage where glycerol exhalation was monitored over a 24 hour period with samples collected at eight different times. A second experiment used the same procedure except the test agent was glyceryl-trinitrate administered at a dose of 10 milligrams per kilogram. Glyceryl-trinitrate was absorbed very rapidly with carbon-dioxide (124389) (CO2) as the major metabolite. A comparison of the rates of CO2 elimination showed a 2 hour lag phase from glyceryl-trinitrate which was not detected from glycerol. In 24 hours, glycerol yielded 51.8 percent CO2 while glyceryl-trinitrate yielded 36.5 percent. The authors conclude that because elimination curves from CO2 exhalation investigations have not been comparable, the nutritional status of the rat may be the determining factor.