• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.28-37
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• 1996

Benzidine, an aromatic amine used primarily in the manufacture of azo dyes, is recognized as a urinary bladder carcinogen in humans. In rats, mice, and hamsters, chronic exposure to benzidine resulted in tumors of the liver. The present study was undertaken to suggest analyzing the metabolites of benzidine with the optimal condition, identify the metabolites of benzidine, and observe time variance of the metabolites in the isolated perfusated rat liver. N-acetylbenzidine was synthesized by acetylation of benzidine with acetic anhydride and separated by thin layer chromatography(TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). To analysis benzidine and the metabolites of benzidine, HPLC operating condition has been optimized by means of preliminary experiment. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile(37%) in phosphate buffer, flow rate maintained at 1.0 ml/min. Optimal detective conditions were electrochemicaldetector(ECD) at 0.75 V for benzidine and N-acetylbenzidine and ultravioletdetector(UVD) at 287 nm for N,N'-diacetylbenzidine. The separation system was composed of a guard column and a separation column(Polymer C18, $4.6{\times}250cm$) at a temparature of $40^{\circ}C$. The perfusion system was equilibrated for 30 minutes before addition of benzidine to the perfusate. Samples of the perfusate were collected at time intervals(0, 10, 20, 30, 60, 90, 120 min) during the 2 hour perfusion. Before analyzing samples by HPLC/ECD/UVD, samples had been treated with sep-pak. Samples of perfusate analyzed by HPLC/ECD/UVD and the metabolites of benzidine in the isolated perfused rat liver were N-acetylbenzidine and N,N'-diacetylbenzidine. Benzidine metabolized over 60% during the initial 30 minutes of perfusion, extensively by 1 hour, and was undetectable in the perfusate. N-acetylbenzidine increased by 30 minutes of perfusion, declined. N,N'-diacetylbenzidine increased the 0-90 minutes period, remained constant during the 90-120 minutes period.