As end products of xenobiotic metabolism via glutathione conjugation, mercapturic acids (MCAs) can be used as markers to indicate exposure to allylic compounds as well as the rate and efficiency of their excretion. In addition, the formation of certain MCAs indicates metabolism via the known toxin acrolein, a strong electrophile. High-resolution H-1 NMR spectroscopy has been employed to quantitatively measure the presence of MCAs in the urine of Sprague-Dawley rats, collected in the 8h following 25 and 50 mg kg(-1) i.p. doses of allyl formate (AF), a model toxin. 3-Hydroxypropylmercapturic acid (HPMA) was found to be the only H-1 NMR-observable MCA excreted in the urine, exhibiting a percentage recovery of similar to 20% at the 25 mg kg(-1) dose level, and -30% at the 50 mg kg(-1) dose level. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.