Fatal acute poisoning by bentazon.

A case of fatal suicidal bentazon poisoning is presented along with a description of the different analytical methods involved. A 56-year-old farmer was examined by the family doctor 1 h after voluntarily ingesting 500 mL of FIGHTER (bentazon, 480 g/L water). He presented a Glasgow score of 15, polypnea, diarrhea, and vomiting. During transport by ambulance to the hospital, he tossed, sweated, and suddenly presented breathing difficulty followed by heart failure. Tracheal intubation was impossible (H1.5) despite use of different diameter cannulas because of extreme general muscle rigidity. All attempts at resuscitation failed, and the patient died within 2 h postingestion. Blood and urine samples were taken just before death. General basic and neutral drug screening by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detection and gas chromatography-nitrogen-phosphorus detection showed no strychnine or other drugs or toxics except for citalopram (< 0.1 mg/L) and bentazon, but this weak acidic molecule (pKa3.3) was badly extracted in alkaline conditions. Plasma and urine levels, measured after acidic extraction, protein precipitation, or simple dilution, were 1500 and 1000 mg/L, respectively. Bentazon (M.W. 240) was confirmed by its basic mass spectrum (ESI-, m/z 239, 197, 175, 132) or by that of methylated derivative (El+, m/z 254, 212, 175). An hydroxylated metabolite (ESI-, m/z 255, 213, 191, 148; El+, m/z 284, 242, 163) and the N1-glucuronide conjugate of bentazon (ESI-, m/z 415, 239) were also detected in urine. (Quantitation ions are underlined.) This first case of bentazon poisoning with available analytical data revealed the high toxicity of this compound after large dose ingestion with early and heavy symptoms such as muscle rigidity probably related to muscular toxicity. Comparison with another nonfatal case and with toxicological data on animals is discussed.

Determination of 7-chloro-3-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-4h-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide (DU-717) in plasma using electron-capture gas chromatography.

A gas chromatographic method has been developed which enables accurate determination of a new antihypertensive agent, DU-717, in plasma. DU-717 is first extracted with ethyl acetate and, after a clean-up procedure, derivatized with peracetic acid followed by diazomethane to form 2-methyl DU-717 N-oxide (direct methylation leads to mixtures). The N-oxide is then pyrolyzed to 2-methyl DU-717 on a gas chromatograph equipped with electron-capture detection. Accurate determinations are possible over a concentration range from 10 to 150 ng/ml of DU-717 in plasma at a relative standard deviation of 6.2%. The minimum detectable concentration is 1 ng/ml. Plasma levels of DU-717 in spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats following single oral administrations (10 mg/kg) have also been determined.