Nonenzymatic formation of a novel hydroxylated sulfamethoxazole derivative in human liver microsomes: implications for bioanalysis of sulfamethoxazole metabolites.

Sulfamethoxazole is metabolized by microsomal CYP2C9 to a hydroxylamine that is thought to be responsible for the relatively high incidence of hypersensitivity reactions associated with the drug. Accurate quantification of the hydroxylamine requires the loss of metabolite through autoxidation to be blocked with ascorbate. In this study, a partly nonenzymatically generated arylhydroxylated derivative of sulfamethoxazole was identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry in incubations of human liver microsomes, and it was found to coelute with the isomeric hydroxylamine under the conditions of three published high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assays. Partial inhibition of the aryl hydroxylation by 1-aminobenzotriazole suggested some involvement of cytochrome P450. However, the formation of this compound was ascorbate-dependent, and it was enhanced by the addition of Fe2+/EDTA and inhibited by desferrioxamine but not by mannitol. These findings are consistent with the phenol being generated via an Fe2+/ascorbate/O2-oxygenating system that does not involve hydroxyl radicals. It was also produced by H2O2/ascorbate. Because the compound shares close chromatographic similarities with the hydroxylamine metabolite, it is possible that previous studies may have inaccurately characterized or quantified sulfamethoxazole metabolism.

Metabolism and disposition of fluticasone furoate, an enhanced-affinity glucocorticoid, in humans.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the metabolism and disposition of fluticasone furoate, an enhanced-affinity glucocorticoid receptor agonist, in humans. In a two-part, open-label design study, five healthy male subjects received a p.o. dose of 2 mg of [(14)C]fluticasone furoate, followed 4 weeks later by an i.v. dose of 0.25 mg of [(14)C]fluticasone furoate (as a 30-min infusion). Oral absorption was rapid and estimated at approximately 30%, although the oral bioavailability was markedly lower at 1.6%, limited by extensive first-pass metabolism. Plasma clearance was 58.3 l/h, with a volume of distribution of 642 liters and a terminal elimination half-life of 15.3 h. The major circulating component identified in plasma extracts after i.v. and p.o. dosing was unchanged parent compound, with 17beta-carboxylic acid (GW694301X; M10) also being notable after p.o. administration. Mean recovery of radioactivity was approximately 92 and 102% at 216 and 168 h after i.v. and p.o. administration, respectively, with most (at least 90%) recovered in the feces. Fluticasone furoate was extensively metabolized, with only trace amounts of unchanged parent compound observed in feces following either route of administration. The predominant pathway was removal of the S-fluoromethyl carbothioate group to yield GW694301X (M10). Other pathways included oxidative defluorination to yield a hydroxyl at the C6 position. There was no evidence for metabolic loss of the furoate group from fluticasone furoate or any of its metabolites. Evidence presented suggests that enterocytes have a role in the metabolism of unabsorbed fluticasone furoate.