Acute toxicity and urinary excretion of diphenyldiselenide

The acute toxicity of diphenyldiselenide (DPDS) in the male Swiss mouse was found to be enhanced by pretreatment with phenobarbital of SKF-525A. DPDS decreased hepatic glutathione content by 50% at 1 h after administration. Following administration of 14C-DPDS, labelled metabolites were found in urine but not in bile or feces. Analysis of the urinary metabolites of 14C-DPDS showed that selenium-containing metabolites elute from a DEAE-Sephadex column in two fractions: the first has not been chemically characterized, while the second peak contained the glucuronide conjugates of C 6H 4(OH)SeH and C 6H 5SeH. Virtually all of the administered selenium is excreted within 5 days, while only about 36% of the 14C is exercted in the same time period. This discrepancy indicates metabolic scission of the carbon selenium bond.