G. Waller, G. Price, E. D. Mitchell
Jun 13, 1969
Citations
0
Influential Citations
47
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Science
Abstract
cis,trans-Nepetalactone, the biologically active component of catnip, was force-fed to the domestic cat. When the 14C-labeled compound was fed, 86 to 94 percent of the radioactivity was recovered in the urine, 1 to 2 percent was found in the feces, and 1 to 12 percent was collected as carbon dioxide. The major (50 to 75 percent) metabolite was α-nepetalinic acid, which was excreted in the urine together with small amounts of dihydronepetalactone, unchanged cis,-trans-nepetalactone, and several unidentified compounds. No marked physiological or histological eflects were observed when 20 to 80 milligrams of cis, trans-nepetalactone was administered orally. This is the first report on the metabolism of a mammalian attractant.