High-performance liquid chromatography of sulfapyridine and its acetyl and glucuronide metabolites in rat and human urine

Trace determination of sulfonamide antibiotics and their acetylated metabolites via SPE-LC-MS/MS in wastewater and insights from their occurrence in a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Antibiotics have drawn much attention as their wide usage in humans and animals may result in microbial resistance, which is a huge threat to humans' health. Studies on the occurrence and removals of antibiotics in wastewater treatment plants have been widely performed, but very few covered their main acetylated metabolites. This study developed an effective analytical method for the trace determination of four sulfonamides and three acetylated metabolites in municipal wastewaters, which was validated by linearity (R² > 0.995), sensitivity (limit of quantification, LOQ < 0.78 ng/L), recovery (77.7%-148.1%) and precision (relative standard deviation, RSD < 9.6%). All sulfonamides and their acetylated metabolites were detected in municipal wastewaters including influent, primary settling tank and effluent. Removal performances of sulfapyridine (SP), sulfadiazine (SDZ), sulfamethoxazole (SMZ), and N₄-acetyl sulfadiazine (AC-SDZ) in the municipal wastewater treatment plant were moderate or excellent, whereas the corresponding removals of sulfamethazine (SM2), N₄-acetyl sulfapyridine (AC-SP), and N₄-acetyl sulfamethazine (AC-SM2) were poor. The calculated poor removal of SM2 might be attributed to its fluctuation in raw wastewater, whereas the poor removals of AC-SP and AC-SM2 may be due to re-transformation from their parent sulfonamides. Our results showed that monitoring of acetylated sulfonamides in municipal wastewater is important for two reasons. One is that acetylated metabolites are good biomarkers for wastewater-based epidemiology when they are combined with their corresponding parent sulfonamides. The other is that the potential risk of sulfonamides in effluent to the natural environment cannot be accurately evaluated unless their acetylated metabolites are also accounted. This report is the first to address the potential risk of acetylated sulfonamides in effluent of wastewater treatment plants.

Determination of indomethacin, its metabolites and their glucuronides in human plasma and urine by means of direct gradient high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis. Preliminary pharmacokinetics and effect of probenecid

Indomethacin is metabolized in humans by O-demethylation, and by acyl glucuronidation to the 1-O-glucuronide. Indomethacin, its metabolite O-desmethylindomethacin (DMI) and their conjugates can be measured directly by gradient high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis without enzymic deglucuronidation. The glucuronide conjugates were isolated by preparative HPLC from human urine samples. In plasma only indomethacin was present. No isoglucuronides were present in acidic urine of the volunteer. The possible metabolite deschlorobenzoylindomethacin (DBI) was not detectable in urine. Calibration curves were constructed by enzymic deconjugation of samples containing different concentrations of isolated indomethacin acyl glucuronide, DMI acyl glucuronide and DMI ether glucuronide. The limit of quantitation of indomethacin in plasma is 0.060 microgram/ml. The limits of quantitation in urine are: indomethacin 0.053 microgram/ml, DMI 0.065 microgram/ml, DMI acyl glucuronide 0.065 microgram/ml and DMI ether glucuronide 0.254 microgram/ml. A pharmacokinetic profile of indomethacin is shown, and some preliminary pharmacokinetic parameters of indomethacin obtained from one human volunteer are given. Probenecid inhibits the formation of both the ether and the acyl glucuronide of DMI.

Direct gradient reversed-phase HPLC analysis and preliminary pharmacokinetics of nalidixic acid, 7-hydroxymethylnalidixic acid, 7-carboxynalidixic acid, and their corresponding glucuronide conjugates in humans

A gradient reversed-phase high pressure liquid chromatographic analysis was developed for the direct measurement of nalidixic acid with its acyl glucuronide, 7-hydroxymethylnalidixic acid with its acyl and ether glucuronides, and 7-carboxynalidixic acid in human plasma and urine. The glucuronides and 7-carboxynalidixic acid were not present in plasma after an oral dose of 1,000 mg nalidixic acid. The acyl glucuronides of 7-carboxynalidixic acid were not present in plasma and urine. The acyl glucuronides are stable in urine at pH 5.0-5.5. The subject's urine must therefore be acidified by the oral intake of 4 x 1 g of ammonium chloride per day. With acidic urine, hardly any nalidixic acid was excreted unchanged (0.2%). It was excreted as acyl glucuronide (53.4% of dose), 7-hydroxymethyl-nalidixic acid (10.0%), the latter's acyl glucuronide (30.9%), and 7-carboxynalidixic acid (4.2%).

Direct measurement of probenecid and its glucuronide conjugate by means of high pressure liquid chromatography in plasma and urine of humans

Probenecid with its phase-I metabolites, and phase-II glucuronide conjugate can be analysed by a gradient high pressure liquid chromatographic method. Probenecid glucuronide in plasma with pH 7.4 is not stable and declines to 10% of the original value within 6 h (t1/2 approximately 1 h). Probenecid glucuronide is stable in urine with pH 5.0, moderately unstable at pH 6.0 (t1/2 approximately 10 h), and unstable at pH 8.0 (t1/2 approximately 0.5 h). Probenecid glucuronide is stable in water and 0.01 mol/l phosphoric acid in the autosampler of the high pressure liquid chromatograph. The decrease in concentration in water is 5.5% during 9 h and 0% in diluted acid. Probenecid glucuronide and the phase-I metabolites were not detectable in plasma. The main compound in fresh urine is the phase-II conjugate probenecid glucuronide (62% of a 500 mg dose); the phase-I metabolites are present and only a trace of probenecid is present. The percentage of the dose of the phase-I metabolites varies between 5 and 10, while hardly any probenecid is excreted unchanged (0.33%).

Direct determination of codeine, norcodeine, morphine and normorphine with their corresponding O-glucuronide conjugates by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the detection, separation and measurement of codeine and its metabolites norcodeine, morphine and normorphine, with their glucuronide conjugates. The glucuronidase Escherichia coli type VIIA hydrolyses codeine-6-glucuronide completely and is used for the construction of the calibration curves of codeine-6-glucuronide. Enzymic hydrolysis of codeine-6-glucuronide depends on the specific activity of the glucuronidase applied. Examples are shown of a volunteer who is able to form morphine from codeine and one who is unable to do so.

Comparison of the metabolism of four sulphonamides between humans and pigs

Pigs are unable to form N1-glucuronides of sulphadimethoxine and sulphamethomidine, while humans are able to do so. Pigs and humans are able to oxidise sulphapyridine and form the O-glucuronide. The double conjugate N4-acetylsulphapyridine-O-glucuronide is formed in humans but not in pigs. Sulphadiazine is mainly acetylated in both humans and pigs. A hypothesis about N1-glucuronidation is presented.

Novel oxidative pathways of sulphapyridine and sulphadiazine by the turtle Pseudemys scripta elegans

The sulphonamides sulphapyridine and sulphadiazine show novel hydroxy metabolites in the turtle Pseudemys scripta elegans. In the excreta of the turtles the monohydroxy metabolites 4-hydroxy- and 5-hydroxysulphapyridine and the dihydroxy metabolite 4,5-dihydroxysulphapyridine were detected. Of sulphadiazine only dihydroxy metabolites 4,5- and 4,6-dihydroxysulphadiazine were detected. About 70-90% of the dose of sulphapyridine was recovered, while this figure varied between 48 and 69% for sulphadiazine.

Direct high pressure liquid chromatographic analysis and preliminary pharmacokinetics of enantiomers of oxazepam and temazepam with their corresponding glucuronide conjugates

Three high pressure liquid chromatographic systems for the separation of oxazepam, temazepam and their glucuronides (system A), the separation of their R,S glucuronide diastereomers (system B) and the chiral separation of the parent drugs (system C) are described. Preliminary pharmacokinetics of R,S-oxazepam and R,S-temazepam in a human volunteer reveal that the protein binding of the glucuronides is lower than that of the parent drugs, but that there is no difference in protein binding between the R-oxazepam/temazepam and S-oxazepam/temazepam and their corresponding glucuronides. The S-glucuronide is the main metabolite formed and excreted by man. The plasma ratio R/S-glucuronide is 1:1 for both oxazepam and temazepam. The renal clearance of R-temazepam, and S-temazepam are similar, and those of R-oxazepam and S-oxazepam tend to be different.