Metabolism of doxylamine succinate in Fischer 344 rats. Part III: Conjugated urinary and fecal metabolites.

Elimination and metabolic profiles of the glucuronide products of doxylamine and its N-demethylated metabolites were determined after the oral administration of (14C)-doxylamine succinate (13.3 and 133 mg/kg doses) to male and female Fischer 344 rats. The cumulative urinary and fecal eliminations of these conjugated doxylamine metabolites at the 13.3 mg/kg dose were 44.4 +/- 4.2% and 47.3 +/- 8.1% of the total recovered dose for male and female rats, respectively. The cumulative urinary and fecal eliminations of conjugated doxylamine metabolites at the 133 mg/kg dose were 55.2 +/- 2.6% and 47.9 +/- 2.5% of the total recovered dose for male and female rats, respectively. The conjugated doxylamine metabolites that were isolated, quantitated, and identified are doxylamine O-glucuronide, N-desmethyl-doxylamine O-glucuronide, and N,N-didesmethyldoxylamine O-glucuronide.

Metabolism of pyrilamine maleate in Fischer 344 rats, Part I: Activity excretion profiles.

Male and female Fisher 344 rats (12 per group) were dosed by gavage with either 2 or 10 mg (based on the free amine) pyrilamine maleate containing about 12 and 6 muCi 14C-pyrilamine maleate, respectively, to determine excretion of the activity as a function of dose and sex with time. Urine and feces were collected at timed intervals through 144 h. Most of the dose (about 70%) was eliminated within 48 h through the urine and feces, but only about 80% of the total dose was recovered during the experiment. Less than 1% of the total dose remained in the rats at the end of the test period. In an additional experiment to determine the location of the remainder of the dose (about 20%), male rats were dosed with 2 mg pyrilamine maleate containing 14C-pyrilamine maleate. After 144 h, exhaustive washing of the cages resulted in recovery of approximately 20% of the dose, thus identifying its location. There were no significant sex or dose related differences observed in the total amount of 14C that was eliminated through the urine or feces and recovered. Urine and feces are the major routes of elimination of pyrilamine maleate in the Fischer 344 rat. The urinary route of elimination was more predominant than the fecal route in both sexes at either dose.

Formation of artifactual metabolites of doxylamine following acid hydrolysis.

This study describes the use of gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric, high-performance liquid chromatographic and capillary column gas chromatographic separation techniques in demonstrating the production of several artifactual compounds reported in the literature as metabolites of doxylamine. Rhesus monkey urinary extracts which contained doxylamine and doxylamine metabolites were examined with and without acid hydrolysis. The production of 1-phenyl-1-(2-pyridinyl)ethanol and 1-phenyl-1-(2-pyridinyl)ethylene under acid hydrolysis conditions was demonstrated. These artifactual products were shown to originate from the acid hydrolysis of 2-[1-phenyl-1-(2-pyridinyl)ethoxy] acetic acid and not from doxylamine.

Metabolism of doxylamine succinate in Fischer 344 rats. Part II: Nonconjugated urinary and fecal metabolites.

Elimination and metabolic profiles of doxylamine and its nonconjugated metabolites were determined after the oral administration of [14C]-doxylamine succinate (13.3 mg/kg and 133 mg/kg doses) to male and female Fischer 344 rats. Total urine and fecal recovery of the administered dose was greater than 90% regardless of sex or dose. The cumulative urinary and fecal elimination of these nonconjugated doxylamine metabolites at the 13.3 mg dose was 44.4 +/- 4.4% and 36.0 +/- 5.8% of the total recovered dose for male and female rats, respectively. The cumulative urinary and fecal elimination of the doxylamine nonconjugated metabolites at the 133 mg/kg dose was 38.7 +/- 2.7% and 41.4 +/- 1.0% of the total recovered dose for male and female rats, respectively. In order to determine the contribution of mammalian and bacterial enzymes in the overall metabolism and excretion patterns for doxylamine, two in vitro techniques were investigated. Incubation of [14C]-doxylamine succinate with human and rat intestinal microflora indicated that anaerobic bacteria were not capable of effecting the degradation of [14C]-doxylamine succinate. However, the incubation of [14C]-doxylamine succinate with isolated rat hepatocytes generated several metabolites similar to those observed in vivo. The nonconjugated doxylamine metabolites isolated and identified include: doxylamine N-oxide, desmethyldoxylamine, didesmethyldoxylamine and ring-hydroxylated products of doxylamine and desmethyldoxylamine. The studies demonstrate the role of hepatic metabolism in the elimination of doxylamine succinate in the rat.

Desorption chemical ionization and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometric studies of the glucuronide metabolites of doxylamine.

Three glucuronide metabolites of doxylamine succinate were collected in a single fraction using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from the urine of dosed male Fischer 344 rats. The metabolites were then separated using an additional HPLC step into fractions containing predominantly a single glucuronide metabolite. Analysis of the metabolites by methane and ammonia desorption chemical ionization, with and without derivatization, revealed fragment ions suggestive of a hydroxylated doxylamine moiety. Identification of the metabolites as glucuronides of doxylamine, desmethyldoxylamine and didesmethyldoxylamine was accomplished, based on determination of the molecular weight and exact mass of each metabolite using fast atom bombardment (FAB) ionization. This assignment was confirmed by the fragmentation observed in FAB mass spectrometric and tandem mass spectrometric experiments. Para-substitution of the glucuronide on the phenyl moiety was observed by 500-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry. A fraction containing all three glucuronide metabolites, after a single stage of HPLC separation, was also analysed by FAB mass spectrometry, and the proton- and potassium-containing quasimolecular ions for all three metabolites were observed.

Identification of pyrilamine metabolites by ammonia chemical ionization mass spectrometry.

The ammonia chemical ionization mass spectrometric analysis of pyrilamine, the N-oxide of pyrilamine, and related compounds is described. The use of ammonia as the reagent gas produced excellent [M + H]+ ions for these compounds. The suitability of this method for the analysis of two rat urinary metabolites of pyrilamine is demonstrated.

Metabolism of doxylamine succinate in Fischer 344 rats. Part I: Distribution and excretion.

Experiments were conducted with male and female rats (12 per group) dosed by gavage with 2 or 20 mg (based on the free amine) doxylamine succinate containing about 10 microCi 14C-doxylamine succinate to determine distribution and excretion of the activity as a function of dose and sex with time. Urine and feces were collected at intervals up to 72 hr. Most of the dose (approximately equal to 70%) was eliminated in the first 24 hr after dosing and 95 to 100% of the dose was recovered during the 72-hr course of the experiments with both sexes and dose levels. Less than 1% of the total dose remained in the rats at the end of the test period. The urinary route of elimination was more predominant than the fecal route in both sexes given the 20-mg dose. The fecal route predominates in low-dose males whereas there is no significant difference between urinary and fecal routes of elimination in low-dose females. Preliminary characterization of urinary metabolite form using extraction techniques shows 99% of the metabolites to be in the polar conjugated form.

Mass spectral characterization of doxylamine and its rhesus monkey urinary metabolites.

This study describes the use of mass spectrometry (MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and chemical derivatization techniques for the identification of doxylamine and five rhesus monkey urinary metabolites. The analyses were performed using chemical ionization mass spectrometry with either methane or ammonia as the reagent gas. The confirmation of the structures of two of these urinary metabolites was aided by the synthesis of doxylamine N-oxide and desmethyldoxylamine and by the use of methylation and acetylation derivatization techniques. Doxylamine N-oxide, desmethyldoxylamine, didesmethyldoxylamine, and two metabolites which resulted from the cleavage of the aliphatic tertiary nitrogen side chain to the subsequent 2-[1-phenyl-1-(2-pyridinyl)ethoxy]acetic acid or 2-[1-phenyl-1-(2-pyridinyl)ethoxy]methanol compounds were isolated and identified from rhesus monkey urine. Additional data concerning the mass spectral analysis of derivatization or reaction products from the three chloroformate reactions with doxylamine, and the synthesis and separation techniques which afforded mass spectral identification of the urinary metabolites are also presented.