Analysis of 2-thiothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (TTCA), a metabolite of carbon disulfide (CS2), is used in the biological monitoring exposure to CS2 at work. In order to clarify the metabolic reasons for individual variation in the urinary excretion of TTCA, the latter was studied in rats pretreated with model cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme inducers or glutathione (GSH) depletors. Ethanol, phenobarbital (PB) or 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) did not increase 24-h TTCA output following CS2 inhalation (50 or 500 ppm, 6h). After oral dosing (10 mg/rat), PB had an inhibiting effect on the excretion rate of TTCA. Tissue GSH depletors phorone, L-buthionine-(RS)-sulfoximine (BSO) and diethylmaleate (DEM) decreased TTCA excretion in rats given an oral dose (10 mg/rat) of CS2. The initial inhibition by phorone and DEM was reversed after 6 h and from 12 h onward the TTCA in urine exceeded the control level, an effect not seen with BSO. The proportion of CS2 excreted in urine as TTCA within 24 h was 1.7% in control rats and 1% after BSO treatment, 1.3% after PB, 1.7% after acetone, 1.8% after MC, 2.0% after phorone and 2.5% after DEM treatment. The amount of TTCA in urine increased with the CS2 dose in a non-linear fashion: 1.6 mumol (50 ppm/6 h) vs. 4.9 mumol (500 ppm/6 h), and 0.2 mumol (1 mg/kg) versus 3.6 mumol (100 mg/kg).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)