Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are high-production
chemicals
used as cleaning and disinfecting agents. Due to their ubiquitous
presence in the environment and several toxic effects described, human
exposure to these chemicals gained increasing attention in recent
years. However, very limited data on the biotransformation of QACs
is available, hampering exposure assessment. In this study, three
QACs (dimethyl dodecyl ammonium, C10-DDAC; benzyldimethyl
dodecylammonium, C12-BAC; cetyltrimethylammonium, C16-ATMAC) commonly detected in indoor microenvironments were
incubated with human liver microsomes and cytosol (HLM/HLC) simulating
Phase I and II metabolism. Thirty-one Phase I metabolites were annotated
originating from 19 biotransformation reactions. Four metabolites
of C10-DDAC were described for the first time. A detailed
assessment of experimental fragmentation spectra allowed to characterize
potential oxidation sites. For each annotated metabolite, drift-tube
ion-mobility derived collision cross section (DTCCSN2) values were reported, serving as an additional identification
parameter and allowing the characterization of changes in DTCCSN2 values following metabolism. Lastly, eight metabolites,
including four metabolites of both C12-BAC and C10-DDAC, were confirmed in human urine samples showing high oxidation
states through introduction of up to four oxygen atoms. This is the
first report of higher oxidized C10-DDAC metabolites in
human urine facilitating future biomonitoring studies on QACs.