Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
3085821 
Technical Report 
Absorption Of Erythritol Tetranitrate And PETN From The Gastro-Intestinal Tract 
Lawton, AH; Yagoda, H; Von Oettingen, WF 
1944 
NIOSH/00141636 
erythritol 
19-21 
English 
The amount of absorption of penta-erythritol-tetranitrate (78115) (PETN) was investigated in the gastrointestinal tract of rats, skin of humans, and lungs of dogs. Starved rats were given 20 milligrams (mg) PETN or erythritol-tetranitrate (7297258) by stomach tube. Rats were killed at various times, and gastrointestinal tracts were removed for analysis of contents. PETN was rubbed into the skin of both hands and left for 2 to 3 hours, and 5mg PETN were rubbed into the palm of the hand and covered with a watch glass for 1 hour. Blood, venous, and spinal pressures were measured in dogs insufflated with 100mg PETN into the lower sections of the trachea. Analysis of extracts of ground gastrointestinal tract and contents from rats showed that there was very little absorption of the PETN from the alimentary canal at 1, 2, 4, or 6 hours after administration. No symptoms of skin absorptions were seen even after evaporation from skin; the entire amount of PETN applied was recovered after 1 hour. In dogs, PETN was absorbed through the lungs because insufflation produced a fall in blood pressure and a rise in venous and spinal pressures. In 12 rats fed erythritol-tetranitrate, 3 showed 38 percent absorption in 1 hour, 3 showed 66 percent absorption in 2 hours, 3 showed 80 percent absorption in 4 hours, and 3 showed 71 percent absorption in 6 hours.