Urinary Pesticide Levels in Children and Adolescents Residing in Two Agricultural Communities in Mexico.

The use of pesticides in agricultural activities has increased significantly during the last decades. Several studies have reported the health damage that results from exposure to pesticides. In Mexico, hundreds of communities depend economically on agricultural activities. The participation of minors in this type of activity and their exposure to pesticides represents a potential public health problem. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which urine samples (first-morning urine) were taken from children under 15 years of age in both communities. A total of 281 urine samples obtained in both communities were processed for the determination of pesticides with high-performance liquid chromatography together with tandem mass spectrometry. In 100% of the samples, at least two pesticides of the 17 reported in the total samples were detected. The presence of malathion, metoxuron, and glyphosate was remarkable in more than 70% of the cases. Substantial differences were detected regarding the other compounds. It is necessary to carry out long-term studies to determine the damage to health resulting from this constant exposure and to inform the health authorities about the problem in order to implement preventive measures.

In vitro and in vivo clinical pharmacology of dimethyl benzoylphenylurea, a novel oral tubulin-interactive agent.

Dimethyl benzoylphenylurea (BPU) is a novel tubulin-interactive agent with poor and highly variable oral bioavailability. In a phase I clinical trial of BPU, higher plasma exposure to BPU and metabolites was observed in patients who experienced dose-limiting toxicity. The elucidation of the clinical pharmacology of BPU was sought. BPU, monomethylBPU, and aminoBPU were metabolized by human liver microsomes. Studies with cDNA-expressed human cytochrome P450 enzymes revealed that BPU was metabolized predominantly by CYP3A4 and CYP1A1 but was also a substrate for CYP2C8, CYP2D6, CYP3A5, and CYP3A7. BPU was not a substrate for the efflux transporter ABCG2. Using simultaneous high-performance liquid chromatography/diode array and tandem mass spectrometry detection, we identified six metabolites in human liver microsomes, plasma, or urine: monomethylBPU, aminoBPU, G280, G308, G322, and G373. In patient urine, aminoBPU, G280, G308, and G322 collectively represented <2% of the given BPU dose. G280, G308, G322, and G373 showed minimal cytotoxicity. When BPU was given p.o. to mice in the presence and absence of the CYP3A and ABCG2 inhibitor, ritonavir, there was an increase in BPU plasma exposure and decrease in metabolite exposure but no overall change in cumulative exposure to BPU and the cytotoxic metabolites. Thus, we conclude that (a) CYP3A4 and CYP1A1 are the predominant cytochrome P450 enzymes that catalyze BPU metabolism, (b) BPU is metabolized to two cytotoxic and four noncytotoxic metabolites, and (c) ritonavir inhibits BPU metabolism to improve the systemic exposure to BPU without altering cumulative exposure to BPU and the cytotoxic metabolites.

Validation and implementation of a liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry assay to quantitate dimethyl benzoylphenylurea (BPU) and its five metabolites in human plasma and urine for clinical pharmacology studies.

A method has been developed for the quantitation of N-[4-(5-bromo-2-pyrimidinyloxy)-3-methylphenyl]-N'-(2-dimethylamino-benzoyl)urea (BPU) and its metabolites in human plasma and urine. BPU and metabolites were separated on a C18 column with acetonitrile-water mobile phase containing 0.1% formic acid using isocratic flow for 5 min. The analytes were monitored by tandem mass spectrometry. Calibration curves were generated over the range of 2.5-500 ng/mL for BPU, mmBPU, and aminoBPU in plasma; and 0.1-20, 0.1-20, 0.5-100, 10-2000, 1-200, and 3-600 ng/mL for BPU, mmBPU, aminoBPU, G280, G308, and G322 in urine, respectively. The method has been successfully applied to study the pharmacokinetics of BPU.

Deuterium isotope effect on the toxicokinetics of monomethylamine in the rat.

The single-dose toxicokinetics of monomethylamine has been characterized in the rat by HPLC assay of serial blood samples. Biphasic first-order elimination was observed following an iv bolus dose of 19 mumol/kg with a terminal half-life of 19.1 +/- 1.3 min (mean +/- SE, N = 4). The apparent steady state volume of distribution, systemic blood clearance, and renal blood clearance were 1.21 +/- 0.09 liter/kg, 53.4 +/- 3.5 ml/min/kg, and 5.72 +/- 0.53 ml/min/kg, respectively. The administration of an intragastric dose permitted the calculation of the systemic bioavailability of monomethylamine as 69 +/- 3%. Duplicate experiments using the structural analogue with deuterium atoms substituted for hydrogens on the methyl group revealed a much slower elimination of the compound, although ultimately, 5 times as much was excreted unchanged in the urine. Isotope effects calculated as the ratios of terminal half-life, systemic blood clearance, and systemic bioavailability were 1.9, 2.2, and 1.8, respectively.