The Research Institute for Fragrance Materials’ (RIFM) Anne Marie Api (vice president, human health sciences) has published an article on metabolism of geranyl nitrile and citronellyl in hepatocytes in Drug Metabolism and Disposition. The article, titled “Comparative metabolism of geranyl nitrile and citronellyl nitrile in mouse, rate and human hepatocytes,” is co-authored by Raymond Kemper, Diane Nabb, Shawn Gannon and Timothy Snow.
It reports on the metabolic clearance and biotransformation of geranyl nitrile and citronellyl nitrile in primary hepatocytes from mice, rats and human. The differences in clastogenicity observed for these two compounds are hypothesized to result from differential biotransformation involving the conjugated nitrile moiety. The compounds were rapidly metabolized in all species. The intrinsic clearance within a species was similar for both compounds increased in the order of human < rat << mouse. There was no evidence for phase I or phase II metabolism of the conjugated nitrile moiety, and the presumed metabolic basis for the differences in clastogenicity remain undetermined.