We report rates of acrylic acid (AA) oxidation and tissue/blood partit
ion coefficients in rat tissues. AA oxidation in Fischer 344 rat kidne
y and liver slices was described by saturable kinetics with maximal ve
locities of about 4 and 2 mu mol/h/g, respectively. AA oxidation rates
in 11 additional tissues were 40% or less than in liver. AA oxidation
rates in Sprague-Dawley rat liver and kidney were similar to those in
Fischer rats. Partition coefficients varied within a narrow range, su
ggesting that a tissue's contribution to systemic detoxification of AA
will depend much more strongly on its rate of AA oxidation and the pr
oportion of the cardiac output that it receives.