Oral pharmacokinetics and in-vitro metabolism of metyrapone in male rats.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of a single oral administration of metyrapone (MP) and metabolites produced from it in male Wistar rats, and the major tissues and enzymes involved in the production of the MP metabolites. Furthermore, the MP metabolism in human liver subcellular fractions was compared with that in rats. METHODS: High-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV) was used to determine the concentrations of MP and its metabolites in plasma and urine after administration, and the production activity of MP metabolites in subcellular fractions of various tissues. KEY FINDINGS: Plasma concentration of MP was rapidly increased and decreased, and the primary metabolite, metyrapol (MPOL), was immediately produced. The production activity of MPOL was substantially inhibited by an 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11ß-HSD1) inhibitor in the rat and human liver microsomal and mitochondrial fractions. In the liver cytosolic fraction, the activity was inhibited by a carbonyl reductase inhibitor in the humans but not rats. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we elucidated the plasma pharmacokinetics of MP and its metabolites in male rats after an oral administration. MPOL is most likely to be produced by 11ß-HSD1 in the male rats and humans.

Determination of the plasma levels of metyrapone and its enantiomeric metyrapol metabolites by direct plasma injection and multidimensional achiral-chiral chromatography.

The development and validation of a direct injection high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method, with column switching, for the determination of metyrapol enantiomers and metyrapone in human plasma is described. The system used in this work was composed of a restricted access media (RAM) bovine serum albumin (BSA) octyl column coupled to an amylose tris(3,5-dimethoxyphenylcarbamate) chiral column. Water was used as eluent for the first 5 min at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min for the elution of the plasma proteins and then acetonitrile-water (30:70 v/v) for the transfer and analysis of metyrapol enantiomers and metyrapone, which were detected by UV at lambda = 260 nm. The total analysis time was about 32 min. The calibration curves for each enantiomer and for the metyrapone were linear in the ranges 0.075-0.75 microg/ml and 0.150-1.50 microg/ml, respectively. Recoveries, intra- and interday precision and accuracy were determined using three quality controls, one low (0.18 microg/ml), one medium (0.75 microg/ml), and one high (1.35 microg/ml) plasma concentration. Quantitative recoveries and good precision and accuracy were obtained. The limit of quantitation were 0.045 microg/ml for both enantiomers and for the metyrapone.

Pharmacokinetics of 2-methoxyphenylmetyrapone and 2-bromophenylmetyrapone in rats.

The pharmacokinetics of two 2-substituted phenylmetyrapone analogues, 2-methoxyphenylmetyrapone (2-MPMP) and 2-bromophenylmetyrapone (2-BrPMP), developed as potential adrenal imaging agents, were investigated in conscious male rats following an intravenous dose of 25 mg/kg. Arterial blood samples (0.25 ml) were collected at various intervals for up to 7 h after dose and subjected to reversed-phase HPLC analysis. Blood concentrations versus time profile for each compound was determined and the pharmacokinetic parameters calculated using the model-independent approach. Blood concentrations of 2-MPMP declined biexponentially with mean initial (t1/2alpha) and terminal (t1/2beta) half-lives of 3.6 and 23.1 min, respectively. The corresponding area under the curve (AUC(0-infinity)) was 159.3 microg x min/ml, the total blood clearance (CI) was 158.3 ml/min and the volume of distribution (Vd) was 5.2 l. Two metabolites of 2-MPMP, namely 2-hydroxyphenylmetyrapone (2-OHPMP) and 2-methoxyphenylmetyrapone N-oxide (2-MPMP-NO), were detected in the blood and their elimination from blood was almost parallel to that of the parent compound. The maximum blood concentrations (Cmax) of 2-OHPMP and 2-MPMP-NO were approximately 0.9 and 1.7 microg/ml, respectively. Blood concentrations of 2-BrPMP declined monoexponentially with a mean t1/2beta of 12.0 min. The pharmacokinetic parameters for 2-BrPMP were: AUC(0-infinity), 193.7 microg x min/ml; Cl, 131.7 ml/min and Vd, 2.3 l. 2-Bromophenylmetyrapone N-oxide was the only one metabolite detected in the blood, its Cmax and AUC0-infinity were 10.1 microg/ml and 1690.0 microg x min/ml, respectively.

Simultaneous analysis of 2-methoxyphenylmetyrapone and its seven potential metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay has been developed for the quantification of 2-methoxyphenylmetyrapone (2-MPMP) and its seven potential metabolites in rat urine and whole blood. 2-MPMP, 2-hydroxyphenylmetyrapone and their N-oxides, together with 2-methoxyphenylmetyrapol, 2-hydroxyphenylmetyrapol and their N-oxides were separated on an Isco Spherisorb ODS-2 reversed-phase column (250 x 4.6 mm, I.D., 5 microm), with an Isco Spherisorb ODS-2 guard cartridge (10 x 4.6 mm I.D.). A gradient elution was employed using solvent system A (acetonitrile-water-triethylamine-acetic acid, 27.3:69.1:0.9:2.7%, v/v) and solvent system B (methanol), the gradient program being as follows: initial 0-4 min A:B=74:26; 4-10 min linear change to A:B=50:50; 10-16 min maintain A:B=50:50; 16 min return to initial conditions (A:B=74:26). Flow-rate was maintained at 1.25 ml/min, and the eluent monitored using a diode array multiple wavelength UV detector set at 260 nm. Most of the analytes were baseline resolved, and analysis of samples recovered from blood or urine (pH 12, 3 x 5 ml of dichloromethane, recovery approximately 20-95%) revealed no interference from any co-extracted endogenous compounds in the biological matrices, except for 2-hydroxyphenylmetyrapol N-oxide (2-OHPMPOL-NO) at low concentrations. The calibrations (n=6) were linear (r > or = 0.996) for all analytes (approximately 0.5-100 microg/ml), with acceptable inter- and intra-day variability. Subsequent validation of the assay revealed acceptable precision, as measured by coefficient of variation (C.V.) at the low (0.5 mg/ml), medium (50 microg/ml) and high (100 microg/ml) concentrations. The limits of detection for 2-MPMP and their available potential metabolites, except 2-OHPMPOL-NO, in rat urine and blood were both 0.5 microg/ml, respectively.

Determination of metyrapone and the enantiomers of its chiral metabolite metyrapol in human plasma and urine using coupled achiral-chiral liquid chromatography.

A coupled achiral-chiral liquid chromatographic assay has been developed to determine the concentrations of metyrapone and the enantiomers of its chiral metabolite metyrapol in plasma and urine. The chromatographic system consisted of a silica precolumn (75 x 4.6 mm I.D.) coupled in-line to a 250 x 4.6 mm I.D. column containing cellulose tris(4-methylbenzoate) coated on silica gel (Chiralcel OJ-CSP). When plasma samples were analyzed, the mobile phase was hexane-ethanol (92:8, v/v) modified with 0.1% diethylamine and when urine samples were analyzed the mobile phase was hexane-ethanol (94:6, v/v) modified with 0.2% diethylamine. Under these chromatographic conditions the chromatographic retentions [expressed as capacity factors (k')] for metyrapone were k' = 2.35 (plasma) and 2.52 (urine); for (-)-metyrapol k' = 4.22 (plasma) and 4.62 (urine); for (+)-metyrapone k' = 5.16 (plasma) and 5.86 (urine); enantioselectivities (alpha) were 1.09 (plasma) and 1.13 (urine). The assay has been validated for use in metabolic studies. The analyses of plasma and urine samples from one subject following oral administration of 750 mg of metyrapone indicated that the enzymatic reduction of myterapone by aldo-keto reductase was enantiospecific.

Synthesis of 2-[131I]iodophenyl-metyrapone using Cu(I)-assisted nucleophilic exchange labelling: study of the reaction conditions.

2-Bromophenyl-metyrapone has been synthesized as a precursor for Cu(I)-assisted labelling with radioiodine. A labelling yield of > 95% was obtained and the specific activity of the purified product was 120 GBq/mumol. The iodo for bromo exchange requires an excess of reducing agents to maintain the Cu(I) redox potential. The effects of the amount of reactants, temperature and time were studied. The labelling yield showed a direct dependence on the amount of precursor and Cu(+)-catalyst used for the reaction, and an increase with reaction time (optimal at 60 min) and temperature (optimal at 100 degrees C). Studies of the stability, lipophilicity and binding of 2-[131I]iodophenyl-metyrapone to serum protein indicated high in vitro stability, high lipophilicity (log P = 2.19) and a loose association with serum proteins.

An unusual profile of endocrine study in a patient with pre-Cushing's syndrome.

A unilateral adrenal tumour was incidentally detected in a 39-year-old woman with no characteristic features of Cushing's syndrome. Basal levels of glucocorticoids were within normal limits. However, abnormal pattern of plasma cortisol and ACTH was observed. The dexamethasone suppression test and the metyrapone test showed also abnormal response. Adrenocortical scintigram demonstrated high accumulation of the radiopharmaceutical in the tumour region alone. Final diagnosis was "pre-Cushing's syndrome" and a solitary adenoma was removed from the left adrenal gland.

Assay of metyrapone, metyrapol and the isomeric mono-N-oxides of metyrapone in biological fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography.

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the analysis of metyrapone [2-methyl-1,2-di-(3-pyridyl)-1-propanone], its reduced metabolite metyrapol and metyrapone mono-N-oxide metabolites in biological fluids is reported. These components were extracted into dichloromethane (2 x 5 ml) from alkalinised microsomal incubates, urine and blood (final pH about 12.5), or from cytosolic incubates at pH 7.4 (final aqueous volume 2-4 ml). Recoveries were in the range 70-100% under these conditions. The intact drug and metabolites were separated by reversed-phase HPLC with ultraviolet detection at 261 nm. All calibration curves were linear (correlation coefficient greater than 0.997). For the analysis of hepatic microsomal or cytosolic incubates, the coefficient of variation was less than 10% for samples over the range 2.5-250 nmol/ml N-oxides and 10-250 nmol/ml metyrapol. Measurement of metyrapone and metyrapol in rat blood (0.25-ml sample volume) was linear in the ranges 4.4-265 and 26-263 nmol/ml, respectively, the lower concentration being the limit of detection. The coefficient of variation was less than 20% for samples over the ranges tested for both these compounds. The N-oxide metabolites were not detectable in blood using this assay, their concentrations being below the limit of detection.