Approaches for Determining Ethylenediamine and its Metabolites: Use of [¹⁴C]- and [D₄]-Ethylenediamine

Abstract

Ethylenediamine (1,2-diaminoethane) is a small, highly basic molecule of some industrial importance. It is used in the manufacture of various polymers, resins and dyestuffs, is present in cutting oils and wetting agents, and is used in pharmaceutical formulation. Our interest in ethylenediamine stems from its presence in the widely used bronchodilator drug, aminophylline, which consists of theophylline and ethylenediamine in a molar ratio of 2:1. The ethylenediamine component, unlike the majority of excipients used in pharmaceutical formulation, is not devoid of biological activity [see l], and is thus worthy of some attention. There is very little information in the literature on the disposition of ethylenediamine in animals or man, and we have therefore made a detailed study of the metabolic fate of this molecule in the rat and in human volunteers.