RÉSUMÉ
We studied if consumption of boiled fresh roots from sweet cassava varieties grown in Cuba resulted in exposure to cyanogenic glycosides and their final breakdown product, cyanide. When adult, nonsmoking subjects consumed 1-4 kg cassava over 2 days, their urinary levels of the main cyanide metabolite, thiocyanate, only increased from a mean +/- SEM of 12 +/- 2 to 22 +/- 2 mumol/l, indicating a negligible cyanide exposure. Their mean urinary linamarin, the main cyanogenic glucoside in cassava, increased from 2 +/- 1 to 68 +/- 16 mumol/l. In a second experiment 5 subjects consumed one meal of 0.5 kg boiled cassava that contained 105 mumol linamarin and 8 mumol hydrogen cyanide (HCN). Quantitative urine collections prior to and after intake showed that 28% of linamarin was excreted during the following 24 hours, whereas a modest increase of urinary thiocyanate (SCN) only corresponded to the small amount of free HCN ingested. These results indicate that the dominant cyanogen in boiled cassava is glycosides that pass through the human body without causing cyanide exposure. It remains to be studied whether humans occasionally possess intestinal or tissue beta-glucosidases that can hydrolyse cyanogenic glycosides from cassava.
Sujet(s)
Cyanures/pharmacocinétique , Hétérosides/toxicité , Manihot , Nitriles/urine , Racines de plante/métabolisme , Adulte , Créatinine/urine , Cuba , Cyanures/toxicité , Cyanures/urine , Consommation alimentaire , Femelle , Hétérosides/pharmacocinétique , Humains , Hydrolyse , Intestins/enzymologie , Mâle , Adulte d'âge moyen , Nitriles/pharmacocinétique , Nitriles/toxicité , Extraits de plantes/pharmacocinétique , Extraits de plantes/toxicité , Fumer/urine , Sulfates/urine , Thiocyanates/urine , bêta-Glucosidase/métabolismeRÉSUMÉ
A chromatographic method was developed to detect and confirm the presence of succinonitrile (SDN) in horse urine samples, for antidoping control. The urine samples (5 ml) were extracted with diethyl ether and screened by gas chromatography-nitrogen-phosphorus detector and the confirmation of the drug's presence was accomplished by using gas chromatography-mass selective detection. The recovery of extraction was 78 and 81% for 1.0 and 2.0 micrograms ml-1 (relative standard deviation, < 10%), respectively. Urine samples collected after the administration of Energisan were positive for SDN (1-30 h) in all samples analysed.