Intravenous pharmacokinetics and absolute oral bioavailability of dolasetron in healthy volunteers: part 1

In this first part of a two-part investigation, the intravenous dose proportionality of dolasetron mesylate, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, and the absolute bioavailability of oral dolasetron mesylate were investigated. In an open-label, randomized, four-way crossover design, 24 healthy men between the ages of 19 and 45 years received the following doses: 50, 100, or 200 mg dolasetron mesylate administered by 10-min intravenous infusion or 200 mg dolasetron mesylate solution administered orally. Serial blood and urine samples were collected for 48 h after dosing. Following intravenous administration, dolasetron was rapidly eliminated from plasma, with a mean elimination half-life (t1/2) of less than 10 min. Dolasetron was rarely detected in plasma after oral administration of the 200 mg dose. Hydrodolasetron, the active primary metabolite of dolasetron, appeared rapidly in plasma following both oral and intravenous administration of dolasetron mesylate, with a mean time to maximum concentration (t(max)) of less than 1 h. The mean t1/2 of hydrodolasetron ranged from 6.6-8.8 h. The plasma area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-infinity)) for both dolasetron and hydrodolasetron increased proportionally with dose over the intravenous dose range of 50-200 mg dolasetron mesylate. Approximately 29-33%) and 22% of the dose was excreted in urine as hydrodolasetron following intravenous and oral administration of dolasetron, respectively. For dolasetron as well as hydrodolasetron, mean systemic clearance (C1), volume of distribution (Vd), and t1/2 were similar at each dolasetron dose. The mean 'apparent' bioavailability of dolasetron calculated using plasma concentrations of hydrodolasetron was 76%. The R(+) enantiomer of hydrodolasetron represented the majority of drug in plasma (> 75%) and urine (> 86%). Dolasetron was well tolerated following both oral and intravenous administration.

Stereoselectivity of the carbonyl reduction of dolasetron in rats, dogs, and humans

The initial step in the metabolism of dolasetron or MDL 73,147EF [(2 alpha, 6 alpha, 8 alpha, 9a beta)-octahydro-3-oxo-2,6-methano-2H- quinolizin-8-yl 1H-indol-3-carboxylate, monomethanesulfonate] is the reduction of the prochiral carbonyl group to give a chiral secondary alcohol "reduced dolasetron." An HPLC method, using a chiral column to separate reduced dolasetron enantiomers, has been developed and used to measure enantiomers in urine of rats, dogs, and humans after dolasetron administration. In all cases, the reduction was enantioselective for the (+)-(R)-enantiomer, although the dog showed lower stereoselectivity, especially after iv administration. An approximate enantiomeric ratio (+/-) of 90:10 was found in rat and human urine. The contribution of further metabolism to this enantiomeric ratio was considered small as preliminary studies showed that oxidation of the enantiomeric alcohols by human liver microsomes demonstrated only minor stereoselectivity. Further evidence for the role of stereoselective reduction in man was obtained from in vitro studies, where dolasetron was incubated with human whole blood. The enantiomeric composition of reduced dolasetron formed in human whole blood was the same as that found in human urine after administration of dolasetron. Enantioselectivity was not due to differences in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion of enantiomers, as iv or oral administration of rac-reduced dolasetron to rats and dogs lead to the recovery, in urine, of essentially the same enantiomeric composition as the dose administered. it is fortuitous that the (+)-(R)-enantiomer is predominantly formed by carbonyl reductase, as it is the more active compound.

Simultaneous measurement of the major metabolites of dolasetron mesilate in human urine using solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography

A method based on solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed for the simultaneous quantitation of the principal active metabolites of dolasetron mesilate [i.e. MDL 74,156 (II), MDL 102,382 (III) and MDL 73,492 (IV)] in human urine. The method has been validated over the concentration range of 200-5000 pmol/ml for all three metabolites. Within-day and day-to-day coefficients of variation were less than 9 and 14%, respectively, for the three metabolites. The method allowed the simultaneous quantitation of III, IV and II and the evaluation of the urinary excretion of these metabolites in human urine following the administration of dolasetron mesilate.

Quantitative measurement of zacopride in human plasma and urine by combined gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry

A highly sensitive and specific assay was developed for routine analysis of zacopride at the femtomole level in human plasma and urine. Zacopride and the deuterated internal standard [(2H3)zacopride] were measured by gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry with methane as the reagent gas. A multiple-step liquid-liquid extraction procedure was used to isolate the two compounds of interest from complex biological matrices. Zacopride was converted to the fluorinated derivative with pentafluoropropionic anhydride. The mass spectrometer was tuned to monitor the very intense [M-HF]- ion at m/z 435 which was generated into the ion source by a dissociative capture process. This assay was performed with 1 ml of plasma or 0.2 ml of urine, and the quantification limit of the method was calculated as 10 pg ml-1 using a suitable statistical test. The very low relative standard deviation and mean percentage error values calculated during the within-day or between-day repeatability assays have clearly demonstrated the ruggedness of the technique for the routine quantitative measurement of zacopride in plasma and urine. Some preliminary results on the pharmacokinetics of this potent drug are presented to illustrate the applicability of this new powerful gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric method.

Metabolic disposition of 14C-venlafaxine in mouse, rat, dog, rhesus monkey and man

1. The metabolic disposition of venlafaxine has been studied in mouse, rat, dog, rhesus monkey and man after oral doses (22, 22, 2, and 10 mg/kg, and 50 mg, respectively) of 14C-venlafaxine as the hydrochloride. 2. In all species, over 85% of the administered radioactivity was recovered in the urine within 72 h, indicating extensive absorption from the GI tract and renal excretion. 3. Venlafaxine was extensively metabolized, with only 13.0, 1.8, 7.9, 0.3 and 4.7% dose appearing as parent compound in urine of mouse, rat, dog, monkey and man, respectively. The metabolite profile varied significantly among species, but primary metabolic reactions were demethylations and the conjugation of phase I metabolites. Hydroxylation of the cyclohexyl ring also occurred in mouse, rat and monkey, and a cyclic product was formed in rat and monkey. Glucuronidation was the primary conjugation reaction, although sulphate conjugates were also detected in mouse urine. 4. While no metabolite constituted more than 20% dose in any species except man, the major urinary metabolites were: mouse, N,O-didesmethyl-venlafaxine glucuronide; rat, cis-1,4-dihydroxy-venlafaxine; dog, O-desmethyl-venlafaxine glucuronide; monkey, N,N,O-tridesmethyl-venlafaxine; and man, O-desmethyl-venlafaxine.

Human dolasetron pharmacokinetics: II. Absorption and disposition following single-dose oral administration to normal male subjects

Dolasetron is a 5-hydroxytryptamine antagonist active at type III receptors; it is presently undergoing clinical evaluation for the reduction/prevention of cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. A previous study demonstrated that following intravenous administration to healthy male subjects, dolasetron disappeared extremely rapidly from plasma, and less than 1 per cent of the dose appeared in the urine. A major plasma metabolite, reduced dolasetron, peaked rapidly in the plasma. In this study, dolasetron was administered orally to healthy male subjects at doses ranging from 50 to 400 mg (mesylate monohydrate). Plasma concentrations of dolasetron were low and sporadic, and there was little excreted in urine; this prevented dolasetron pharmacokinetic analysis. Reduced metabolite concentrations peaked rapidly, with a median value of 1.00 h. The median terminal disposition half-life was 7.80 h. Median values for fraction of dose excreted in urine and renal clearance were 22.2 per cent and 2.56 ml min-1 kg-1. Whereas areas under the plasma concentration-time curves were proportional to dose, renal clearance increased with dose (p < 0.05). However, given dose proportionality to AUC, this is probably of little therapeutic consequence. Since reduced dolasetron has significant anti-emetic activity in the ferret model, it appears that this metabolite may play a significant role in pharmacodynamic activity.

Identification of urinary metabolites of 8-methyl-8-azabicyclo-[3,2,1] octan-3-yl 3,5-dichlorobenzoate (MDL 72,222) in the dog and monkey

The metabolism of 8-methyl-8-azabicyclo- 3,2,1]octan-3-yl 3,5-dichlorobenzoate (MDL 72,222) was studied in the dog and monkey. Four urinary metabolites were detected by HPLC, HPLC/MS, and GC/MS, and were identified by comparison to authentic standards. The major metabolite in the dog, approximately 41% of the administered dose excreted between 0 and 120 hr, was the MDL 72,222-N-oxide. On the other hand, the major metabolite in the monkey was the glycine conjugate of 3,5-dichlorobenzoic acid (greater than 56% of the dose). Seven percent of the dose in the monkey urine was free 3,5-dichlorobenzoic acid. N-Desmethyl MDL 72,222 was present at 2.5 and 1% in the dog and monkey, respectively. Very little (less than 1%) of the parent compound was found in urine. The major pathways of metabolism of MDL 72,222 are N-oxidation, N-demethylation, ester hydrolysis, and amino acid conjugation.

Mass spectrometric structure determination of metabolites of 3-[2-(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)phenylthio]phenol

Metabolites of 3-[2-(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl)phenylthio]phenol (I) were isolated from the urine of rats, mice, rabbit and dog and from the faeces of rats by extraction and thin-layer chromatography. From the mass spectrum of I and using characteristics mass shifts in the spectra of metabolites, the structures of four metabolites were determined, whereas for two other isomeric metabolites the structures were resolved by means of IR spectra. Conclusions regarding the structures derived from the spectra were confirmed by comparing them with synthetic standards. Generally, metabolic changes of I can be characterized by demethylation, hydroxylation combined with methylation, S-oxidation and by a combination of these metabolic reactions.

Excretion and biotransformation of ketanserin after oral and intravenous administration in rats and dogs

The excretion and biotransformation of ketanserin, a novel serotonin S2-receptor blocking agent used in hypertension and related diseases, were studied after single po (1 or 10 mg/kg) and iv (2.5 mg/kg) administration in rats and dogs, using two different radiolabels. Orally administered ketanserin was well absorbed and almost completely metabolized in both species. The excretion of the metabolites was rapid and amounted to about 90% within 4 days. In the various groups of rats and dogs, excretion of the radioactivity with the feces (48 to 67%) exceeded that with urine (27 to 43%). In po dosed bile-cannulated rats, 57% was excreted with the bile within 24 hr, whereas about 30 to 40% of the biliary radioactivity was subjected to enterohepatic circulation. The major urinary, biliary, and fecal metabolites were characterized by HPLC and mass spectrometric analysis. The main metabolic pathways of ketanserin were the aromatic hydroxylation at the quinazolinedione moiety, the oxidative N-dealkylation at the piperidine nitrogen, reduction of the ketone function and piperidine oxidation, followed by ring scission. The mass balance of the metabolites, as estimated by reversed-phase HPLC with on-line radioactivity detection, was very similar between male and female rats, as well as between rats po dosed at 10 mg/kg and iv dosed at 2.5 mg/kg. In rats, major urinary metabolites resulted from the N-dealkylation pathway, whereas hydroxyketanserin was the main biliary and fecal metabolite. In dogs, the N-dealkylation pathway was less abundant, whereas higher doses resulted in smaller relative amounts of hydroxylated metabolites and larger relative amounts of ketanserin-ol, resulting from the ketone reduction. Dog plasma levels of ketanserin-ol exceeded those of the parent drug from about 5 hr after po dosing.

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of citalopram and four of its metabolites in plasma and urine samples from psychiatric patients

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is used for the determination of citalopram [1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-1-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-phthalancarbonitrile+ ++] and four of its metabolites (the methylamino, amino, propionic acid and N-oxide derivatives) in plasma and urine. The plasma samples were extracted with diethyl ether at pH 10 and pH 4. Filtered urine samples could be injected directly on to the column. Steady-state drug and metabolite levels were investigated in fifteen psychiatric patients. In urine, 12 +/- 5% (mean +/- S.D.) of a given dose of citalopram was excreted in unchanged form. The propionic acid derivative was further conjugated, possibly to glucuronic acid. Mean steady-state plasma levels and metabolites in 24-h urine are given as percentages of the dose.

Pharmacokinetics of femoxetine in man

The pharmacokinetics of a structurally new 5HT-uptake inhibitor, femoxetine (FG 4963), with antidepressant properties have been investigated in man using a radioactive as well as a non-labelled substance. A two compartment open model gives a good description of the data, both after oral and intravenous administration. The substance was almost completely absorbed after an oral dose, but only 5-10% reached the systemic circulation due to extensive first pass metabolism. The metabolites had distribution and excretion rates similar to the parent compound. Only a small part (less than 2%) was excreted as femoxetine in the urine. The urinary excretion of the parent compound varied more than a 100-fold depending on the pH of the urine. The urine pH, however, did not influence the plasma concentration of femoxetine. Most of the substance (up to 80%) was eliminated by urinary excretion of metabolites, and only a small part of the radioactive dose was excreted in the faeces (up to 11%). The pharmacokinetic parameters were not found to be dose dependent in the range investigated, but it was not possible to decide whether the bioavailability was dependent on the dose. The variation between subjects was rather large, giving only a limited possibility for prediction of the plasma concentration from one subject to another.