Identification of xenobiotic metabolites from biological fluids using flow injection analysis high-resolution mass spectrometry and post-acquisition data filtering.

RATIONALE: Concern for public health entails the need to evaluate the degree of exposure of population to toxicants. To do this, robust high-throughput approaches are required to be able to perform a large number of analyses in cohort studies. In this study, a data-filtering procedure was applied to mass spectral data acquired by direct analysis of biological fluids leading to rapid detection of metabolites in a model xenobiotic system. METHODS: Flow injection analysis (FIA) coupled to negative electrospray ionization (ESI)-LTQ Orbitrap Fourier transform mass spectrometry was used to directly analyze urine of rats treated with vinclozolin. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) experiments were subsequently performed for confirmation of a new metabolite structure. The isotope filtering based on the difference between accurate masses of (35)Cl and (37)Cl was applied to the raw data for the specific detection of ions containing at least one chlorine atom. RESULTS: Seven metabolites of vinclozolin were manually identified thanks to the characteristic isotope pattern of dichlorinated compounds. A new metabolite of vinclozolin was detected for the first time and identified as a sulfate conjugate. The application of an isotope-filtering procedure allowed the selective extraction of pertinent signals from the data. The processed mass spectrum was greatly simplified, significantly facilitating the detection of the seven metabolites previously identified. CONCLUSIONS: The use of FIA-HRMS in combination with dedicated bio-informatics data processing is shown to be an efficient approach for the rapid detection of metabolites in biological fluids. This is a very promising high-throughput approach for rapid characterization of the exposure status to xenobiotics.

Characterization of new bisphenol a metabolites produced by CD1 mice liver microsomes and S9 fractions.

Bisphenol A [2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane] (BPA) is a widely used industrial chemical resulting in occupational and consumer exposure. BPA possesses weak estrogenomimetic activity and can be cytotoxic, though the underlying mechanisms of its toxicity toward cells are not completely understood. The metabolism of BPA by CD1 mice liver microsomal and S9 fractions was investigated. Nine metabolites were isolated and characterized using HPLC and mass spectrometry. Many of these metabolites were characterized for the first time in mammals, namely isopropyl-hydroxyphenol (produced by the cleavage of BPA), a bisphenol A glutathione conjugate, glutathionyl-phenol, glutathionyl 4-isopropylphenol, and BPA dimers. Most of these metabolites apparently share a common metabolic pathway, for which considerable evidence supports the hypothesis of the production of a reactive intermediate, and also helps explain BPA cytotoxicity.

Biotransformation of vinclozolin in rat precision-cut liver slices: comparison with in vivo metabolic pattern.

Vinclozolin is a dicarboxymide fungicide that presents antiandrogenic properties through its two hydrolysis products M1 and M2, which bind to the androgen receptor. Because of the lack of data on the biotransformation of vinclozolin, its metabolism was investigated in vitro in precision-cut rat liver slices and in vivo in male rat using [ (14)C]-vinclozolin. Incubations were performed using different concentrations of substrate, and the kinetics of formation of the major metabolites were studied. Three male Wistar rats were fed by gavage with [ (14)C]-VZ. Urine was collected for 24 h and analyzed by radio-HPLC for metabolic profiling. Metabolite identification was carried out on a LCQ ion trap mass spectrometer. In rat liver slices and in vivo, the major primary metabolite has been identified as 3',5'-dichloro-2,3,4-trihydroxy-2-methylbutyranilide (M5) and was mainly present as glucuronoconjugates. M5 is produced by dihydroxylation of the vinyl group of M2. Other metabolites have been identified as 3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-5-methyl-5-(1,2-dihydroxyethyl)-1,3-oxazolidine-2,4-dione (M4), a dihydroxylated metabolite of vinclozolin, which undergoes further conjugation to glucuronic acid, and 2-[[(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-carbamoyl]oxy]-2-methyl-3,4-dihydroxy-butanoic acid (M6), a dihydroxylated metabolite of M1.