| ethanol is a potential alternative fuel and a demonstrated rodent teratogen. To assess the risk associated with methanol exposure to the developing human, toxicokinetic information is required in the rodent dam and conceptus. The kinetics of methanol were evaluated in rats and mice at different doses, administration routes, and gestational stages. The disposition of methanol was nonlinear in both species, with Michaelis-Menten elimination and biphasic absorption; mice evidenced a higher maximal elimination rate than rats. Maximal elimination in near-term rodents was only 65-80% of that in non-pregnant animals in both species. In vitro methanol metabolism in rat and mouse adult and fetal livers also was examined; near-term adult livers metabolized methanol approximately 15% slower than livers from non-pregnant rodents. Fetal livers metabolized methanol at a rate... |
