APPLICATION OF ACCELERATOR MASS-SPECTROMETRY (AMS) FOR HIGH-SENSITIVITY MEASUREMENTS OF (CO2)-C-14 IN LONG-TERM STUDIES OF FAT-METABOLISM

Long-term measurements of C-14 in CO2 expired after ingestion of C-14- labelled triolein were performed using accelerator mass spectrometry ( AMS). About 30% of a given amount of C-14-labelled triolein was catabo lized rapidly, while the remaining 70% had a very slow turnover. The s tudy shows the potential of the AMS technique for the study of the lon g-term biokinetics of C-14-labelled pharmaceuticals. The AMS technique allows the administered activity to be reduced by several orders of m agnitude without compromising the study. It may also allow studies of rare drug metabolites.