Metabolic studies with diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate (DGBA) in the rat

1. The in vitro hydrolysis of DGBA in rat blood and its in vivo metabolism and disposition in male Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. 2. DGBA (5 mM) was hydrolysed in rat blood to diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DGBE) with a half-life of less than 3 min. 3. 14C-DGBA was rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and eliminated predominantly in rat urine within 24 h following oral administration at 200 or 2000 mg/kg. The major urinary metabolite was 2-(2-butoxyethoxy)acetic acid. No unchanged DGBA or DGBE was detected in rat urine at either dose level. 4. No evidence was found for excretion of 2-butoxyacetic acid, which has been shown to exert haematological effects in rats.