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A pharmacokinetics and metabolism study was conducted in eight healthy human volunteers. After oral administration of [14C]eplerenone (EP) at a dose of 100 mg per person as an aqueous solution, blood, saliva, breath, urine, and fecal samples were collected at various time points. All matrices were analyzed for total radioactivity and/or for EP and its open-lactone-ring form (EPA). EP was well absorbed, and a mean EP Cmax of 1.72 mug/ml was achieved 1.2 h postdose. After the Cmax, plasma concentrations of EP declined with a half-life of 3.0 h. Plasma concentrations of EPA were much lower than EP concentrations, and the area under the plasma-concentration time curve (AUC) for EPA was only 4% of the EP AUC. Plasma protein binding was moderate (33-60%) but concentration-dependent over the therapeutic concentration range. EP and its metabolites did not preferentially partition into the red blood cells and blood concentrations of total radioactivity were lower than plasma concentrations. Approximately 66.6% and 32.0% of the radioactive dose were excreted in urine and feces, respectively. The majority of urinary and fecal radioactivity was due to metabolites, indicating extensive metabolism of EP. The major metabolic pathways were 6beta- and/or 21-hydroxylation and 3-keto reduction. There was no evidence for any alteration of the 9,11-epoxide ring or the methyl ester. As a percentage of dose, the primary metabolic products excreted in urine and feces included 6beta-hydroxy-EP (6beta-OHEP) (32.0%), 6beta,21-OHEP (20.5%), 21-OHEP (7.89%), and 2alpha,3beta,21-OHEP (5.96%). The amounts of the other metabolites excreted were less than 5% each.

1. The metabolism of bidisomide was investigated to examine how dose and mode of drug administration (i.e. diet admixture versus oral solution) affect the absorption and metabolism of bidisomide in the toxicity studies. 2. After dietary admixture, bidisomide was more absorbed and less metabolized at the higher doses. Reduced metabolism at the high doses resulted from saturation of stereo-specific formation of the N-desisopropyl-arylhydroxy bidisomide (NDABD) metabolite. 3. The rat-specific NDABD metabolite was formed only from (-)-bidisomide on incubation with rat liver microsomes. 4. After oral solution dosing, absorption was increased and metabolism reduced compared with the dietary admixture. 5. After 24-h infusion, plasma concentrations of radioactivity were approximately dose-proportional. However, the concentrations in the liver were similar at the 200 and 400 mg/kg doses due to saturation of liver uptake of the NDABD metabolite.

The metabolism of actisomide, a novel antiarrhythmic agent, was studied in the dog, monkey and man and was found to be more extensive in the monkey than in the dog or man. The major metabolites identified were a piperidinyl hydroxylated metabolite, the mono-N-dealkylated, cyclized and piperidine hydroxylated metabolite, and the cyclized and mono-N-dealkylated metabolite. Excretion of the parent drug was higher in urine than in feces in the dog, but in the monkey and man, urinary and fecal excretion of actisomide was similar. In all species the metabolites were primarily excreted in feces.

1. Nufenoxole, a novel antidiarrhoeal agent, was well absorbed in rat, monkey and human after oral administration. Systemic availability of nufenoxole was 85% in monkey and 102% in man. 2. The elimination rate was much faster in rat (t1/2 of 1.8 h) and monkey (t1/2 of 4.9 h) compared with human (t1/2 of 35.8 h). 3. After oral and i.v. 14C-nufenoxole, concentrations of 14C in human erythrocytes and saliva were approx. 3- and 4-fold lower, respectively, than plasma concentrations. 4. Nufenoxole was metabolized to metabolites hydroxylated on the methyl substituent and isoquinuclidine ring in rat and monkey. The isoquinuclidine ring hydroxylation, a major pathway in human, was stereospecific. 5. Following oral doses of 14C-nufenoxole the urinary excretion of radioactivity (about 8%) was less than the faecal excretion (66.6%) in rat, while urinary excretion was the major route of drug elimination (about 60%) in man. In monkey, urinary and faecal excretion were equally important.

In vitro studies were conducted to identify the major metabolites of eplerenone (EP) and the cytochrome p450 (p450) isozymes involved in its primary oxidative metabolism in humans and dogs. The major in vitro metabolites were identified as 6 beta-hydroxy EP and 21-hydroxy EP in both humans and dogs. EP was metabolized by cDNA-expressed human CYP3A4 and dog CYP3A12 but only minimally by human CYP3A5. In human microsomes, inhibition of total metabolism by the CYP3A-selective inhibitors ketoconazole, troleandomycin, and 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin, each at 10 micro M concentration, was 83 to 95%, whereas inhibition with inhibitors selective for other p450 isozymes was minimal. In dog liver microsomes, the percentages of inhibition were 53 to 76% with the CYP3A-selective inhibitors. A monoclonal anti-CYP3A4 antibody inhibited EP metabolism by 84%, whereas other monoclonal antibodies had minimal effects. The formation of 6 beta-hydroxy and 21-hydroxy metabolites in human liver microsomes was best correlated with CYP3A-selective dextromethorphan N-demethylation and testosterone 6 beta-hydroxylation activities. EP moderately inhibited only CYP3A (testosterone 6 beta-hydroxylase) activity in human liver microsomes by 23, 34 and 45% at concentrations of 30, 100, and 300 micro M, respectively. With human microsomes, the V(max) and K(m) for 6 beta-hydroxylation and 21-hydroxylation were 0.973 nmol/min/mg and 217 micro M, and 0.143 nmol/min/mg and 211 micro M, respectively. The human hepatic clearance calculated from total in vitro EP metabolism was 2.30 ml/min/kg, which agrees with in vivo data. In conclusion, 6 beta- and 21-hydroxylation of EP is primarily catalyzed by CYP3A4 in humans and CYP3A12 in dogs. Also, it is unlikely that EP would substantially inhibit the metabolism of other drugs that are metabolized by CYP3A4 or other p450 isoforms.

1. The metabolism and excretion of celecoxib, a specific cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor, was investigated in mouse, rabbit, the EM (extensive) and PM (poor metabolizer) dog, and rhesus and cynomolgus monkey. 2. Some sex and species differences were evident in the disposition of celecoxib. After intravenous (i.v.) administration of [14C]celecoxib, the major route of excretion of radioactivity in all species studied was via the faeces: EM dog (80.0%), PM dog (83.4%), cynomolgus monkey (63.5%), rhesus monkey (83.1%). After oral administration, faeces were the primary route of excretion in rabbit (72.2%) and the male mouse (71.1%), with the remainder of the dose excreted in the urine. After oral administration of [14C]celecoxib to the female mouse, radioactivity was eliminated equally in urine (45.7%) and faeces (46.7%). 3. Biotransformation of celecoxib occurs primarily by oxidation of the aromatic methyl group to form a hydroxymethyl metabolite, which is further oxidized to the carboxylic acid analogue. 4. An additional phase I metabolite (phenyl ring hydroxylation) and a glucuronide conjugate of the carboxylic acid metabolite was produced by rabbit. 5. The major excretion product in urine and faeces of mouse, rabbit, dog and monkey was the carboxylic acid metabolite of celecoxib.

1. Metabolism of bidisomide, a novel antiarrhythmic agent, was studied in man, and was not extensive as evidenced by the fact that approximately 60 and 70% of the radioactive doses were recovered as the parent drug after i.v. and oral administration respectively. 2. The mass spectra of bidisomide metabolites indicate that the two major metabolic pathways of bidisomide were hydroxylation of the piperidine ring and N-dealkylation. The latter occurred on the side chain containing the piperidine ring or the isopropyl group. The N-dealkylated metabolite on the side chain containing the piperidine ring was cyclized to result in a pyrrolidone metabolite. 3. The N-dealkylated metabolite, desisopropyl bidisomide, was identified by comparing its high resolution mass spectrum to that of authentic desacetyl bidisomide. 4. In the hydroxylation pathway, both mono- and dihydroxylated metabolites of the piperidine ring were observed. The exact location of the hydroxyl groups on the piperidine ring was not determined.

A new beta-aspartyl dipeptide, N-beta-L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine (beta-AP), has been isolated and identified in urine and plasma from normal human volunteers. beta-AP was isolated from urine samples by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Its identity and stereochemistry were demonstrated by HPLC and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The mean urinary beta-AP concentration in the subjects was 0.63 +/- 0.14 microgram/mg creatinine when averaged over two consecutive days of urine collection. Daily beta-AP excretion, determined from two 24-h urine samples collected from five individuals, was 801 +/- 117 micrograms/d (2.7 mumol/d). No diurnal rhythm was evident within the 24-h collection periods. beta-AP was also isolated from human plasma by HPLC and identified by GC-MS. Plasma from subjects contained approximately 5 ng beta-AP/ml. Furthermore, beta-AP was formed when asparagine and phenylalanine were incubated with an enzyme extract from human kidney. Thus, at least some of the beta-AP present in humans, and presumably other beta-aspartyl dipeptides as well, appears to be synthesized endogenously.

1. Several new hydroxylated and reduced metabolites of spironolactone in the urine and faeces of the rat, dog and monkey after 50 mg/kg oral administration of [22-14C]spironolactone were purified by preparative t.l.c. and identified by comparing their chromatographic (t.l.c. and g.l.c.) and mass spectral characteristics with those of synthetic samples.2. Metabolites were divided into those in which the sulphur of spironolactone was removed and those in which this sulphur was retained.3. Canrenone (CAN) was the primary metabolite in the first class. It was further metabolized by three main pathways: (1) opening of the y-lactone ring to canrenoic acid which was excreted as canrenoate ester glucuronide (2) hydroxy-lation to 15α-hydroxy-CAN, 15β-hydroxy-CAN and 21-hydroxy-CAN and (3) reduction to 6,7-dihydro-CAN, 4,5β,6,7-tetrahydro-CAN, 4,5α,6,7-tetra-hydro-CAN, 3β-hydroxy, 4,5α-tetrahydro-CAN, 3β-hydroxy,4,5β,6,7-hexahydro-CAN and 3α-hydroxy,4,5β,6,7-hexahydro-CAN.4. Metabolites in the second class were the...

The metabolic fates of potassium canrenoate (PC) and spironolactone (SP) were compared for the rat in vivo and in vitro. Approximately 18% of an in vivo dose of SP was metabolized to canrenone (CAN) and related compounds in the rat. In vitro, 20-30% of SP was dethioacetylated to CAN and its metabolites by rat liver 9000 g supernatant (S9). Thus, the major route of SP metabolism is via pathways that retain the sulfur moiety in the molecule. PC was metabolized by rat hepatic S9 to 6 alpha, 7 alpha- and 6 beta, 7 beta-epoxy-CAN. The beta-epoxide was further metabolized to its 3 alpha- and 3 beta-hydroxy derivatives as well as its glutathione (GSH) conjugate. Both 3 alpha- and 3 beta-hydroxy-6 beta, 7 beta-epoxy-CAN were shown to be direct acting mutagens in the mouse lymphoma assay, whereas 6 alpha, 7 alpha- and 6 beta, 7 beta-epoxy-CAN were not. These mutagenic metabolites, their precursor epoxides and their GSH conjugates were not formed from SP under identical conditions. The above findings appear to be due to inhibition of metabolism of CAN formed from SP by SP and/or its S-containing metabolites, since the in vitro metabolism of PC by rat hepatic microsomes was appreciably reduced in the presence of SP. The hypothesized mechanism(s) for this inhibition is that SP and its S-containing metabolites specifically inhibit an isozyme of hepatic cytochrome P-450 or SP is a preferred substrate over PC/CAN for the metabolizing enzymes. Absence of the CAN epoxide pathway in the metabolism of SP provides a possible explanation for the observed differences in the toxicological profiles of the two compounds.

Cellular uptake of disobutamide (D), and clear cytoplasmic vacuoles (CCV) induction by D in cultured rat urinary bladder carcinoma cells were dependent on the culture medium pH. At pH 6.0-6.7, drug uptake was slow and no CCV formed in 24 hr. At pH 7.0-8.0, the rate of D uptake and early appearance of CCV were directly proportional to increased basicity. This was explained by the increasing fraction of un-ionized D molecules at increasing basicity of the culture medium. It is only these electrically neutral D molecules which can penetrate the lipoidal cell membrane to induce formation of CCV. Intracellular presence of D was demonstrated by mass spectrometry methods. The results indicate that D is incorporated intracellularly, that D and not its metabolite(s) is in cells, and suggest that CCV are a result of drug sequesteration.

SummaryThe precipitation of cholesterol from saturated solution in coconut oil by pimelic acid is prevented or markedly inhibited by trace amounts of highly purified phosphatidyl choline. A number of other phospholipids, as well as a number of other miscellaneous compounds, were found to be inactive in preventing the precipitation of cholesterol in the in vitro system. The possible implications with respect to the precipitation of cholesterol in vivo are discussed.