Assessment of interaction potential of AZD2066 using in vitro metabolism tools, physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling and in vivo cocktail data.

PURPOSE: Static and dynamic (PBPK) prediction models were applied to estimate the drug-drug interaction (DDI) risk of AZD2066. The predictions were compared to the results of an in vivo cocktail study. Various in vivo measures for tolbutamide as a probe agent for cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) were also compared. METHODS: In vitro inhibition data for AZD2066 were obtained using human liver microsomes and CYP-specific probe substrates. DDI prediction was performed using PBPK modelling with the SimCYP simulator™ or static model. The cocktail study was an open label, baseline, controlled interaction study with 15 healthy volunteers receiving multiple doses of AD2066 for 12 days. A cocktail of single doses of 100 mg caffeine (CYP1A2 probe), 500 mg tolbutamide (CYP2C9 probe), 20 mg omeprazole (CYP2C19 probe) and 7.5 mg midazolam (CYP3A probe) was simultaneously applied at baseline and during the administration of AZD2066. Bupropion as a CYP2B6 probe (150 mg) and 100 mg metoprolol (CYP2D6 probe) were administered on separate days. The pharmacokinetic parameters for the probe drugs and their metabolites in plasma and urinary recovery were determined. RESULTS: In vitro AZD2066 inhibited CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP2D6. The static model predicted in vivo interaction with predicted AUC ratio values of >1.1 for all CYP (except CYP3A4). The PBPK simulations predicted no risk for clinical relevant interactions. The cocktail study showed no interaction for the CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 enzymes, a possible weak inhibition of CYP1A2, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 activities and a slight inhibition (29 %) of CYP2D6 activity. The tolbutamide phenotyping metrics indicated that there were significant correlations between CLform and AUCTOL, CL, Aemet and LnTOL24h. The MRAe in urine showed no correlation to CLform. CONCLUSIONS: DDI prediction using the static approach based on total concentration indicated that AZD20066 has a potential risk for inhibition. However, no DDI risk could be predicted when a more in vivo-like dynamic prediction method with the PBPK with SimCYP™ software based on early human PK data was used and more parameters (i.e. free fraction in plasma, no DDI risk) were taken into account. The clinical cocktail study showed no or low risks for clinical relevant DDI interactions. Our findings are in line with the hypothesis that the dynamic prediction method predicts DDI in vivo in humans better than the static model based on total plasma concentrations.

No pharmacokinetic interaction between paliperidone extended-release tablets and trimethoprim in healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of trimethoprim, a potent organic cation transport inhibitor, on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of paliperidone extended-release tablets (paliperidone ER), an organic cation mainly eliminated via renal excretion, was assessed. METHODS: Open-label, two-period, randomized, crossover study in 30 healthy males. Single dose of paliperidone ER 6 mg was administered either alone on day 1 or day 5 during an 8-day treatment period of trimethoprim 200 mg twice daily. Serial blood and urine samples were collected for PK and plasma protein binding of paliperidone and its enantiomers. The 90% confidence interval (CI) of ratios with/without trimethoprim for PK parameters of paliperidone and its enantiomers calculated. RESULTS: Creatinine clearance decreased from 119 to 102 mL min(-1) with trimethoprim. Addition of trimethoprim increased unbound fraction of paliperidone by 16%, renal clearance by 13%, AUC(infinity) by 9%, and t((1/2)) by 19%. The 90% CIs for ratios with/without trimethoprim were within the 80-125% range for C(max), AUC(last), and renal clearance. For AUC(infinity), 90% CI was 79.37-101.51, marginally below the lower bound of the acceptance range. Paliperidone did not affect steady-state plasma concentrations of trimethoprim. CONCLUSIONS: No clinically important drug interactions are expected when paliperidone ER is administered with organic cation transport inhibitors.

Reductive isoxazole ring opening of the anticoagulant razaxaban is the major metabolic clearance pathway in rats and dogs.

Razaxaban is a selective, potent, and orally bioavailable inhibitor of coagulation factor Xa. The molecule contains a 1,2-benzisoxazole structure. After oral administration of [(14)C]razaxaban to intact and bile duct-cannulated rats (300 mg/kg) and dogs (20 mg/kg), metabolism followed by biliary excretion was the major elimination pathway in both species, accounting for 34 to 44% of the dose, whereas urinary excretion accounted for 3 to 13% of the dose. Chromatographic separation of radioactivity in urine, bile, and feces of rats and dogs showed that razaxaban was extensively metabolized in both species. Metabolites were identified on the basis of liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and comparison with synthetic standards. Among the 12 metabolites identified, formation of an isoxazole-ring opened benzamidine metabolite (M1) represented a major metabolic pathway of razaxaban in rats and dogs. However, razaxaban was the major circulating drug-related component (>70%) in both species, and M1, M4, and M7 were minor circulating components. In addition to the in vivo observations, M1 was formed as the primary metabolite in rat and dog hepatocytes and in the rat liver cytosolic fraction. The formation of M1 in the rat liver fraction required the presence of NADH. Theses results suggest that isoxazole ring reduction, forming a stable benzamidine metabolite (M1), represents the primary metabolic pathway of razaxaban in vivo and in vitro. The reduction reaction was catalyzed by NADH-dependent reductase(s) in the liver and possibly by intestinal microflora on the basis of the recovery of M1 in feces of bile duct-cannulated rats.

Validated LC-MS/MS methods for the determination of risperidone and the enantiomers of 9-hydroxyrisperidone in human plasma and urine.

Two liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods are described, one for the quantitative determination of risperidone and the enantiomers of its active metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone (paliperidone) in human plasma and the other for the determination of the enantiomers of 9-hydroxyrisperidone in human urine. The plasma method is based on solid-phase extraction of 200 microl of sample on a mixed-mode sorbent, followed by separation on a cellulose-based LC column with a 13.5-min mobile phase gradient of hexane, isopropanol and ethanol. After post-column addition of 10 mM ammonium acetate in ethanol/water, detection takes place by ion-spray tandem mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode. Method validation results show that the method is sufficiently selective towards the enantiomers of 7-hydroxyrisperidone and capable of quantifying the analytes with good precision and accuracy in the concentration range of 0.2-100 ng/ml. An accelerated (run time of 4.3 min) and equally valid method for the enantiomers of 9-hydroxyrisperidone alone in plasma is obtained by increasing the mobile phase flow-rate from 1.0 to 2.0 ml/min and slightly adapting the gradient conditions. The urine method is based on the same solid-phase extraction and chromatographic approach as the accelerated plasma method. Using 100 microl of sample, (+)- and (-)-9-hydroxyrisperidone can be quantified in the concentration range 1-2000 ng/ml. The accelerated method for plasma and the method for urine can be used only when paliperidone is administered instead of risperidone, as there is insufficient separation of the 9-hydroxy enantiomers from the 7-hydroxy enantiomers, the latter ones being present only after risperidone administration.

Clinical pharmacology and mechanism of action of zonisamide.

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) suppress seizures by selectively modifying the excitability of neurons and blocking seizure firing with minimal disturbance of nonepileptic activity. All AEDs have been shown to work by at least one of 3 main mechanisms of action: through modulation of voltage-gated ion channels, enhancement of synaptic inhibition, and inhibition of synaptic excitation. Zonisamide is a novel AED that has a broad combination of complementary mechanisms of action, which may offer a clinical advantage over other antiepileptic agents. By altering the fast inactivation threshold of voltage-dependent sodium channels, zonisamide reduces sustained high-frequency repetitive firing of action potentials. Zonisamide also inhibits low-threshold T-type calcium channels in neurons, which may prevent the spread of seizure discharge across cells. In addition, zonisamide is a weak inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase. However, this mechanism is not believed to contribute to the antiepileptic activity of zonisamide. Although zonisamide also seems to alter dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine metabolism, it is not clear to what extent these effects on neurotransmitters are involved in the clinical actions of the drug. In addition to these actions, recent evidence suggests that zonisamide may exert neuroprotective actions, independent of its antiepileptic activity. These potential effects may be important in preventing neuronal damage caused by recurrent seizures. Therefore, it seems that the multiple pharmacological actions of zonisamide may contribute to the seizure reductions observed in a wide range of epilepsies and may help to preserve efficacy in individual patients despite possible changes in electrophysiological status.

Stabilization and determination of a PPAR agonist in human urine using automated 96-well liquid-liquid extraction and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry.

Two stability challenges were encountered during development of an urine assay for a proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonist, I (2-{[5,7-dipropyl-3-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2-benzisoxazol-6-yl]oxy}-2-methyl propionic acid), indicated for the treatment of Type II diabetes. First, the analyte was lost in urine samples due to adsorption on container surface which is a common problem during clinical sample handling. Secondly, the acylglucuronide metabolite (III), a major metabolite of I, displayed limited stability and effected the quantitation of parent drug due to the release of I through hydrolysis. Therefore, a clinical collection procedure was carefully established to stabilize I and its acylglucuronide metabolite, III, in human urine. The metabolite was not quantitated with this method. The urine samples are treated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) equal to 1.75% of the urine volume and formic acid equal to 1% of urine volume. Compound (I) and internal standard (II) were extracted from urine with 1 mL ethyl acetate using a fully automated liquid-liquid extraction in 96-well plate format. The analytes are separated by reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tandem mass spectrometry in multiple-reaction-monitoring (MRM) mode used for detection. The urine method has a lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 0.05 ng/mL with a linearity range of 0.05-20 ng/mL using 0.05 mL of urine. The method was validated and used to assay urine clinical samples.

Effect of venlafaxine on the pharmacokinetics of risperidone.

An open-label study evaluated the effect of steady-state venlafaxine on the single-dose pharmacokinetic profile of risperidone, a CYP2D6 substrate; its active metabolite, 9-hydroxyrisperidone; and the total active moiety (risperidone plus 9-hydroxyrisperidone). Thirty healthy subjects received a 1 mg oral dose of risperidone before and after venlafaxine dosing to steady state. No significant changes occurred between treatments in the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for 9-hydroxyrisperidone or the total active moiety. However, venlafaxine weakly altered the pharmacokinetics of risperidone. Oral clearance decreased 38%, and the volume of distribution decreased 17%, resulting in a 32% increase in the AUC for risperidone. Renal clearance of 9-hydroxyrisperidone also decreased by 20% in the presence of venlafaxine. Safety profiles of both drugs were not altered. This study demonstrated that venlafaxine did not affect the pharmacokinetic profile of 9-hydroxyrisperidone or the total active moiety, although it weakly inhibited the metabolism of risperidone. These results show that venlafaxine is unlikely to be involved in a pharmacokinetic interaction with concomitant risperidone.

3-Methylisoxazol-5-one, an artefact from acetoacetic acid formed during urinary organic acid analysis.

During the analysis of urine for organic acids for suspected metabolic disorders by solvent extraction, derivatisation and capillary gas chromatography, unaccountably large lactic acid peaks were observed in some samples containing large amounts of acetoacetic acid. Electron impact mass spectrometry showed that this was due to two unknown compounds coeluting with lactic acid. These were found to be two trimethylsilyl derivatives of 3-methylisoxazol-5-one, produced from acetoacetic acid during oximation with hydroxylamine hydrochloride, by a cyclisation reaction. Awareness of the formation of this previously unreported artefact is important to laboratories employing a similar profiling procedure.

Risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone concentrations are not dependent on age or creatinine clearance among elderly subjects.

Risperidone is extensively metabolized to an active metabolite, 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OH), which is dependent on renal clearance. Risperidone and 9-OH clearances are reduced in the elderly when compared to young subjects. The objective of this study was to determine whether among elderly subjects, risperidone and 9-OH clearance would further decline with increasing age and decreasing creatinine clearance (CrCl). Twenty geriatric inpatients were evaluated in a naturalistic setting with regard to total daily risperidone dose and dosing interval. Creatinine clearance was determined using an 8-hour urine collection. Risperidone and 9-OH concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to examine the impact of age and CrCl on concentrations of risperidone, 9-OH, their sum, and the quotient of 9-OH/risperidone. Mean age was 76.4 +/- 9 years (range 56-91). Mean CrCl was 55.4 +/- 32.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 (range 17-142 mL/min/1.73 m2). Mean risperidone daily dose was 1.3 +/- 0.7 mg. Steady-state risperidone and 9-OH concentrations were 4.1 +/- 5.3 ng/mL and 9.1 +/- 6.2 ng/mL, respectively. Mean 9-OH/risperidone was 6.2 +/- 6.1. Concentrations of risperidone, 9-OH, their sum, and 9-OH/risperidone were not significantly correlated with age or CrCl. These results were unchanged when concentrations were corrected for total daily risperidone dose. Among elderly subjects, risperidone and 9-OH clearance do not decline with increasing age or declining CrCl.

Determination of valdecoxib and its metabolites in human urine by automated solid-phase extraction-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A simple, sensitive and specific automated SPE-LC-MS-MS assay was developed and validated for determination of valdecoxib (I), its hydroxylated metabolite (II) and carboxylic acid metabolite (III) in human urine. The analytes (I, II and III) and a structural analogue internal standard (I.S.) were extracted on a C(18) solid-phase extraction cartridge using a Zymark RapidTrace automation system. The chromatographic separation was performed on a narrow-bore reverse phase HPLC column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile-water (50:50, v/v) containing 10 mM 4-methylmorpholine (pH 6.0). The analytes were ionized using negative electrospray mass spectrometry, then detected by multiple reaction monitoring with a tandem mass spectrometer. The precursor to product ion transitions of m/z 313-->118, m/z 329-->196 and m/z 343-->196 were used to measure I, II and III, respectively. The assay exhibited a linear dynamic range of 1-200 ng/ml for I and II and 2-200 ng/ml for III in human urine. The lower limit of quantitation was 1 ng/ml for I and II and 2 ng/ml for III. Acceptable precision and accuracy were obtained for concentrations over the standard curve ranges. Run time of 5.5 min for each sample made it possible to analyze a throughput of 70 human urine samples per run. The assay has been successfully used to analyze human urine samples to support clinical phase I and II studies.

Identification of canine urinary metabolites of the antiprotozoal agent 3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-3-(1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-1,2-benzisoxazole .

Metabolite fractions from the urine of a dog dosed with 3a,4,5,6,7a-hexahydro-3-(1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-1,2-benzisoxazole (MK-0436) were obtained by the use of high-performance liquid chromatography. These fractions were of suitable purity for structural elucidation. Data obtained by mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy allowed the identification of seven major metabolites of this drug. Biotransformation in each case involved hydroxylation (mono or di) of the hexahydrobenzisoxazole ring.

Urinary metabolites of 3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-3-(1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-1,2-benzisoxazole in the dog.

The antiprotozoal drug 3a,4,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-3-(1-methyl-5-nitro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-1,2-benzisoxazole (I), which exhibits activity against trypanosomiasis, is also antibacterial in vivo. Since the urine from a dog dosed with I showed a broader spectrum of antibacterial activity than I itself, metabolites from this urine were isolated and partially characterized. The metabolites were mono- and dihydroxy-substituted species with the hydroxyl groups on carbons 4--7 of the hexahydrobenzisoxazole ring. These observations led to the synthesis of several such hydroxy derivatives of I, and their properties fully supported the proposed positions of metabolic hydroxylation. One synthetic compound, the 6,7-cis-dihydroxy compound, exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Salmonella schottmuelleri in mice and greater trypanocidal activity in vivo against Trypanosoma cruzi (Brazil strain) than I.

An overdose of risperidone.

A fatality resulting from the suicidal ingestion of risperidone is described. The decedent had a lengthy history of mental illness but was otherwise healthy. Biological fluid samples obtained at autopsy were analyzed for risperidone by high-performance liquid chromatography. The blood concentration of risperidone was 1.8 mg/L, the urine concentration was 14.4 mg/L, and the concentration in the gastric contents was 34.6 mg/L (1.04 mg total). The 9-hydroxy-risperidone metabolite was not detected in the blood or gastric contents; however, the urine contained 17.8 mg/L of this metabolite.

Cross-reactivity of acetylfentanyl and risperidone with a fentanyl immunoassay.

Fentanyl and its analogs, such as acetylfentanyl, have become a concern for potential abuse. Fentanyl compliance monitoring and urine drug testing are becoming increasingly necessary; however, a limited number of fentanyl immunoassays have been validated for clinical use. The purpose of this study was to validate the use of the DRI® fentanyl immunoassay, determine the potential cross-reactivity of acetylfentanyl and other pharmaceuticals, and investigate acetylfentanyl use in San Francisco. All urine toxicology samples from patients presenting to the emergency department were analyzed using the fentanyl immunoassay for 4 months. Positive samples were analyzed qualitatively using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) for fentanyl, fentanyl metabolites, fentanyl analogs and greater than 200 common drugs and metabolites. Subsequently, quantitative analysis was performed using LC-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Acetylfentanyl, risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone were found to cross-react with the fentanyl immunoassay. No acetylfentanyl was detected in our emergency department patient population. The fentanyl immunoassay demonstrated 100% diagnostic sensitivity in a subset of urines tested; however, the specificity was only 86% due to seven false-positive samples observed. Five of the seven samples were positive for risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone. The DRI® fentanyl immunoassay can be used to screen for fentanyl or acetylfentanyl; however, confirmatory testing should be performed for all samples that screen positive.

Application of surfactant assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction as an efficient sample treatment technique for preconcentration and trace detection of zonisamide and carbamazepine in urine and plasma samples.

A simple, rapid, and efficient method, based on surfactant assisted dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (SA-DLLME), followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been developed for simultaneous preconcentration and trace detection of zonisamide and carbamazepine in biological samples. A conventional cationic surfactant called cethyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) was used as a disperser agent in the proposed approach. 1.5 mL of CTAB (0.45 mmol L(-1)) (disperser solvent) containing 50.0 µL of 1-octanol (extraction solvent) was injected rapidly into the 7.0 mL of water or diluted plasma or urine. A cloudy solution (water, 1-octanol, and CTAB) was formed in the test tube. After formation of cloudy solution, the mixture was centrifuged and 20 µL of collected phase was injected into HPLC for subsequent analysis. Some parameters such as the type and volume of the extraction solvent, the type and concentration of surfactant, pH, ionic strength and centrifugation time were evaluated and optimized. Under optimum extraction conditions, the limits of detections (LODs) were 2.1 and 1.5 µg L(-1) (based on 3Sb/m) for urine samples, and 2.3 and 1.6 µg L(-1) for plasma samples. Linear dynamic range of 5-300 and 5-200 µg L(-1) were obtained for zonisamide and carbamazepine in all samples. Finally, the applicability of the proposed method was evaluated by extraction and determination of the drugs in urine and plasma samples.

MultiSimplex optimization of chromatographic separation and dansyl derivatization conditions in the ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of risperidone, 9-hydroxyrisperidone, monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters in human urine.

A pre-column dansylated ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of risperidone (RIP), 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OH-RIP), monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters in human urine was developed with the aim of providing data on how neurotransmitters may influence each other or change simultaneously in response to risperidone treatment. MultiSimplex based on the simplex algorithm and the fuzzy set theory was applied to the optimization of chromatographic separation and dansyl derivatization conditions during method development. This method exhibited excellent linearity for all the analytes with regression coefficients higher than 0.997. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) values for 9-OH-RIP and RIP were 0.11 and 0.06 ng/ml, respectively, and for neurotrasmitters ranged from 0.31 to 12.8 nM. The mean accuracy ranged from 94.7% to 108.5%. The mean recovery varied between 81.6% and 97.5%. All the RSD of precision and stability were below 9.7%. Finally, the optimized method was applied to analyze the first morning urine samples of schizophrenic patients treated with risperidone and healthy volunteers.

Analysis of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in human plasma, urine and saliva by MEPS-LC-UV.

Risperidone is currently one of the most frequently prescribed atypical antipsychotic drugs; its main active metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone contributes significantly to the therapeutic effects observed. An original analytical method is presented for the simultaneous analysis of risperidone and the metabolite in plasma, urine and saliva by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to an original sample pre-treatment procedure based on micro-extraction by packed sorbent (MEPS). The assays were carried out using a C8 reversed-phase column and a mobile phase composed of 73% (v/v) acidic phosphate buffer (30 mM, pH 3.0) containing 0.23% triethylamine and 27% (v/v) acetonitrile. The UV detector was set at 238 nm and diphenhydramine was used as the internal standard. The sample pre-treatment by MEPS was carried out on a C8 sorbent. The extraction yields values were higher than 92% for risperidone and 90% for 9-hydroxyrisperidone, with RSD for precision always lower than 7.9% for both analytes. Limit of quantification values in the different matrices were 4 ng/mL or lower for risperidone and 6 ng/mL or lower for the metabolite. The method was successfully applied to plasma, urine and saliva samples from psychotic patients undergoing therapy with risperidone, with satisfactory accuracy results (recovery>89%) and no interference from other drugs. Thus, the method seems to be suitable for the therapeutic drug monitoring of schizophrenic patients using the three different biological matrices plasma, urine and saliva.

Metabolism and renal elimination of gaboxadol in humans: role of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and transporters.

PURPOSE: Gaboxadol, a selective extrasynaptic agonist of the delta-containing gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor, is excreted in humans into the urine as parent drug and glucuronide conjugate. The goal of this study was to identify the UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes and the transporters involved in the metabolism and active renal secretion of gaboxadol and its metabolite in humans.Methods. The structure of the glucuronide conjugate of gaboxadol in human urine was identified by LC/MS/MS. Human recombinant UGT isoforms were used to identify the enzymes responsible for the glucuronidation of gaboxadol. Transport of gaboxadol and its glucuronide was evaluated using cell lines and membrane vesicles expressing human organic anion transporters hOAT1 and hOAT3, organic cation transporter hOCT2, and the multidrug resistance proteins MRP2 and MRP4.Results. Our study indicated that the gaboxadol-O-glucuronide was the major metabolite excreted in human urine. UGT1A9, and to a lesser extent UGT1A6, UGT1A7 and UGT1A8, catalyzed the O-glucuronidation of gaboxadol in vitro. Gaboxadol was transported by hOAT1, but not by hOCT2, hOAT3, MRP2, and MRP4. Gaboxadol-O-glucuronide was transported by MRP4, but not MRP2.Conlusion. Gaboxadol could be taken up into the kidney by hOAT1 followed by glucuronidation and efflux of the conjugate into urine via MRP4.

Rapid identification of drug metabolites with tandem mass spectrometry.

A method which involves the use of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for the identification of drug metabolites has been demonstrated with a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The method is based on the fact that metabolites usually retain various substructures of the original drug molecule. MS/MS is capable of rapidly identifying molecules with characteristic substructures without prior separation. It is shown that this method makes it possible to postulate possible drug metabolite structures rapidly and systematically without the use of standards. The MS/MS method, as it was applied to the identification of the metabolites of a new antiepileptic drug, zonisamide, is discussed. In this case it was possible to identify isomeric metabolites due to their differences in vaporization times off the probe and their different daughter spectra. The complementary uses of the neutral loss and parent scans for the determination of the site of metabolism is demonstrated. A new figure of merit, the limit of identification, is introduced. The amount of the epoxide metabolite of carbamazepine necessary for its reliable identification in urine was shown to be 0.4 ng/microliter. The application of various techniques to confirm preliminary findings with this MS/MS method are described.

High-performance of liquid chromatographic determination of [3,4-di-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-isoxazolyl]acetic acid and its metabolites in human plasma and urine.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method is described for the simultaneous determination of the non-steroidal analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent [3,4-di-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-isoxazolyl]acetic acid and its three metabolites in plasma and urine. Deproteinized plasma (with acetonitrile) or urine was applied to a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge, washed with distilled water and then eluted with methanol. The methanol eluate was reduced to dryness. The resulting residues from the plasma and urine were redissolved in methanol aqueous solution, respectively. Aliquots of each solution were chromatographed on a reversed-phase column using a mobile phase of methanol-20 mM potassium dihydrogenphosphate (pH 6.4) (linear gradient from 0 to 100% methanol at 3%/min with a flow-rate of 1.5 ml/min) on a liquid chromatograph equipped with an ultraviolet absorbance detector (254 nm). Detection was limited to 10 ng/ml in plasma and 100 ng/ml in urine for each compound. An accurate and sensitive assay for the determination of [3,4-di-(4-methoxyphenyl)-5-isoxazolyl]acetic acid and its metabolites was established.