Formation of methylhydrazine from acetaldehyde N-methyl-N-formylhydrazone, a component of Gyromitra esculenta.
Gyromitrin, acetaldehyde N-methyl-N-formylhydrazone, is a toxin present in edible wild mushroom Gyromitra esculenta. At 37 degrees under different acidic conditions (pH 1 to 3), mimicking the milieu of human stomach, gyromitrin is converted to methylhydrazine, a known tumor inducer in mice and hamsters, through an intermediate, N-methyl-N-formylhydrazine. In addition, methylhydrazine is formed in the mouse stomach after p.o. administration of gyromitrin. These findings imply that consumption of G. esculenta could present a carcinogenic, as well as an acutely toxic, health hazard.
D000818:Animals; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D006834:Hydrazines / Q000378:metabolism*; D006835:Hydrazones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006868:Hydrolysis; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D009002:Monomethylhydrazine / Q000378:metabolism*; D009145:Mushroom Poisoning; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*
D002273:Carcinogens; D006834:Hydrazines; D006835:Hydrazones; D014118:Toxins, Biological; D009002:Monomethylhydrazine