Biological activity and disposition of the amphetamine analogue 2-aminopropylferrocene

Two-week, repeated inhalation exposure of F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice to ferrocene

Ferrocene (dicyclopentadienyl iron; CAS No. 102-54-5) is a relatively volatile, organometallic compound used as a chemical intermediate, a catalyst, and as an antiknock additive in gasoline. It is of particular interest because of its structural similarities to other metallocenes that have been shown to be carcinogenic. F344/N rats and B6C3F1 mice were exposed to 0, 2.5, 5.0, 10, 20, and 40 mg ferrocene vapor/m3, 6 hr/day for 2 weeks. During these exposures, there were no mortality and no observable clinical signs of ferrocene-related toxicity in any of the animals. At the end of the exposures, male rats exposed to the highest level of ferrocene had decreased body-weight gains relative to the weight gained by filtered air-exposed control rats, while body-weight gains for all groups of both ferrocene- and filtered air-exposed female rats were similar. Male mice exposed to the highest level of ferrocene also had decreased body-weight gains, relative to controls, while female mice had relative decreases in body-weight gains at the three highest exposure levels. Male rats had a slight decrease in relative liver weight at the highest level of exposure, whereas no relative differences in organ weights were seen in female rats. Male mice had exposure-relative decreases in liver and spleen weights, and an increase in thymus weights, relative to controls. For female mice, relative decreases in organ weights were seen for brain, liver, and spleen. No exposure-related gross lesions were seen in any of the rats or mice at necropsy. Histopathological examination was done only on the nasal turbinates, lungs, liver, and spleen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Improved diagnosis using deuterated radiopharmaceuticals?--A comparison of the brain affinity of amphetamine analogs]

Ruthenocene amphetamine analogues have the same brain uptake as iodo-labelled amphetamines. This paper compares the organ-distribution of 103Ru labelled ruthenocene- or ferrocene-amphetamine analogues in mice and rats with the same amphetamine in which H-atoms were partly substituted by D-atoms. The uptake in the brain is increased up to 180-200% for deuterium substituted compounds. The pattern of excreted metabolites leads to the conclusion that the deuterated amphetamines are more slowly metabolised than normal (H) compounds.