Comprehensive metabolite profiling of trimetazidine in camels using high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry: Implications for doping control.

RATIONALE: Trimetazidine and its metabolites are prohibited substances in sports. With a growing number of adverse findings in human athletes, it is crucial to develop doping control strategies that include screening for trimetazidine in animal sports. This study aims to detect and characterize trimetazidine and its metabolites for doping control in camel racing. METHODS: Camel urine and plasma samples were collected from four healthy animals following a single oral dose of trimetazidine. In vitro investigations were conducted using camel liver samples. Liquid-liquid extraction and solid-phase extraction techniques were employed for the extraction of trimetazidine metabolites from plasma and urine matrices. The metabolites were analyzed using a Thermo Orbitrap Exploris LC-MS system with optimized settings to achieve maximum sensitivity and accurate mass measurements. RESULTS: Comprehensive metabolite profiling of trimetazidine in camels revealed the identification of seven phase I and five phase II metabolites. Phase I metabolites were primarily formed through dealkylation, while phase II metabolites were dominated by glucuronide conjugation of demethylated trimetazidine. The findings provided insights into the distinct metabolic pathways and biotransformation patterns of trimetazidine in camels under the experimental conditions. CONCLUSION: The developed method enables detection and characterization of trimetazidine and its metabolites in camels. The identified metabolites have the potential to serve as marker metabolites for trimetazidine abuse in camel racing. This study provides valuable insights into the metabolism of trimetazidine in camels.

Lomerizine, trimetazidine and bis-(4-fluorophenyl)-methylpiperazine in human urine after oral administration of lomerizine dihydrochloride: analysis by liquid chromatography-high resolution-tandem mass spectrometry.

In sports drugs testing, the differentiation between the abuse of the prohibited substance trimetazidine and that of the permitted drug lomerizine is required because trimetazidine is one of the metabolites of lomerizine. Therefore, it is important to identify a lomerizine-specific metabolite in urine that allows making the distinction. In this study, a simple dilute-and-shoot method employing liquid chromatography-high resolution-tandem mass spectrometry for the quantification of trimetazidine, lomerizine and the specific metabolite bis-(4-fluorophenyl)-methylpiperazine (M6) in urine was developed. An oral dose of 15 mg was administered to 10 male volunteers, after which urine samples collected during the following 276 hours were analyzed using the developed method, allowing for examination of the target analytes' excretion profile. The limit of detection of all target analytes was <0.02 ng/mL. In all volunteers, the metabolite M6 was detected up to 276 hours after administration. After more than 12 hours, all volunteers were found to have higher concentrations of the metabolite M6 than of trimetazidine. The concentrations of trimetazidine, lomerizine, M6, and the M6/trimetazidine ratio in the final sample collected after 276 hours were 0.2-0.9 ng/mL, <0.05-0.1 ng/mL, 14.1-38.3 ng/mL, and 28.8-122.9, respectively. The urinary excretion of trimetazidine, unchanged lomerizine, and the metabolite M6 within the first 276 hours was 0.64%, 0.006%, and 6.1%, respectively. Consequently, the absence of the metabolite M6 in doping control urine samples corroborates the conclusion that lomerizine is unlikely to be the source of trimetazidine. The results confirm that the M6 metabolite is the longest-lasting urinary metabolite of lomerizine currently known.

Development of a multi-functional concurrent assay using weak cation-exchange solid-phase extraction (WCX-SPE) and reconstitution with a diluted sample aliquot for anti-doping analysis.

RATIONALE: In addition to the development of adequate screening methods for multiple compounds, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) requires anti-doping laboratories to analyze prohibited substances and their metabolites from various classes. This task presents a difficult challenge for all agencies and interests involved in the field of doping control. METHODS: A screening method is reported in which hybrid sample preparation was performed using a combination of weak cation-exchange solid-phase extraction (WCX-SPE) and the 'Dilute and Shoot' strategy in order to take advantage of both the methodologies. Target substances were extracted using a WCX cartridge and reconstituted with a diluted sample aliquot that included 20% of an untreated urine sample. The target substances were further analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/MS). RESULTS: The SPE procedure was optimized using a cartridge-washing step, elution conditions, and elution volume. The cartridge-washing step, which was performed using 10% methanol, improved the overall recovery of target substances. Since the recovery was observed to vary according to the pH of the eluting solution, we applied an elution step using both an acid and a basic organic solvent to achieve complementary recovery. Reconstitution of the diluted aliquot sample was performed to recover the polar substances. CONCLUSIONS: The method was validated and applied to real samples in accordance with the external quality assessment scheme of WADA and to the previously reported samples that had provided positive test results. This novel method using hybrid sample preparation and LC/MS could be useful to screen multiple classes of the 264 targeted substances in anti-doping analysis.

Analytical detection of trimetazidine produced by metabolic conversion of lomerizine in doping control analysis.

The identification of trimetazidine in urine samples might result from administration of the permitted drug lomerizine. Laboratories are therefore urged to carefully investigate suspicious cases where trimetazidine is detected. Differentiation of abuse of the banned substance trimetazidine from use of the permitted drug lomerizine would be supported by analysis of the intact drug lomerizine and/or specific metabolites. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The prevalence of trimetazidine use in athletes in Poland: excretion study after oral drug administration.

Stimulants, together with anabolic androgenic steroids, are regarded as one of the most popular doping substances in sport. Owing to a great variety of these substances and new designer drugs being introduced to the market, each year the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) updates the list of substances and methods prohibited in sport. On 1 January 2014, a new doping agent - trimetazidine (TMZ) - was added to the WADA Prohibited List. TMZ, a substance prohibited in competition, is classified in the S6b Specified Stimulant Group. TMZ is used as a well-known cardiologic drug with confirmed biochemical and clinical activity. According to knowledge of the pharmacology and mechanism of TMZ action, TMZ can be used by athletes to improve physical efficiency, especially in the case of endurance sports. This study presents the phenomena of TMZ use by Polish athletes involved in anti-doping control in the WADA-accredited laboratory in Warsaw (Poland) between 2008 and 2013. Samples were taken from the athletes of such disciplines as cycling, athletics, and triathlon. Moreover, the elimination study of TMZ has been conducted to establish the change of TMZ concentration in urine sample after oral administration of a single or double (during the long-term therapy) dose. TMZ was monitored in urine samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-nitrogen phosphorus detection (GC-MS-NPD).

Doping control analysis of trimetazidine and characterization of major metabolites using mass spectrometric approaches.

Since January 2014, the anti-anginal drug trimetazidine [1-(2,3,4-trimethoxybenzyl)-piperazine] has been classified as prohibited substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), necessitating specific and robust detection methods in sports drug testing laboratories. In the present study, the implementation of the intact therapeutic agent into two different initial testing procedures based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) is reported, along with the characterization of urinary metabolites by electrospray ionization-high resolution/high accuracy (tandem) mass spectrometry. For GC-MS analyses, urine samples were subjected to liquid-liquid extraction sample preparation, while LC-MS/MS analyses were conducted by established 'dilute-and-inject' approaches. Both screening methods were validated for trimetazidine concerning specificity, limits of detection (0.5-50 ng/mL), intra-day and inter-day imprecision (<20%), and recovery (41%) in case of the GC-MS-based method. In addition, major metabolites such as the desmethylated trimetazidine and the corresponding sulfoconjugate, oxo-trimetazidine, and trimetazidine-N-oxide as identified in doping control samples were used to complement the LC-MS/MS-based assay, although intact trimetazidine was found at highest abundance of the relevant trimetazidine-related analytes in all tested sports drug testing samples. Retrospective data mining regarding doping control analyses conducted between 1999 and 2013 at the Cologne Doping Control Laboratory concerning trimetazidine revealed a considerable prevalence of the drug particularly in endurance and strength sports accounting for up to 39 findings per year.

Efecto de trimetazidina en la nefrotoxicidad por gentamicina / Trimetazidine effect on nephrotoxicity by gentamicyn

La Trimetazidina (TMZ) es una droga utilizada como cardioprotector, ya que previene la muerte celular secundaria a la isquemia miocárdica. Algunos investigadores le atribuyeron efecto reno-protector, actividad antioxidante y scavenger de radicales libres del oxígeno. El objetivo del presente trabajo es mostrar el efecto citoprotector de TMZ en las alteraciones inducidas por Gentamicina (G) a nivel de la célula del túbulo renal. Se diseñaron esquemas en animales de experimentación tratados con ambas drogas. Ratas macho Wistar de 180 a 200 g de peso fueron distribuidas en 5 grupos (n=8) y tratadas con: dieta estándar (A); suplementada con 20 mg/Kg/día de TMZ durante 27 días (B); suplementada con 50 mg/Kg/día de G durante 7 días(C); pretratadas 20 días con 20 mg/Kg/día de TMZ y los últimos 7 días con G (D) y tratadas simultáneamente durante 7 días con 20 mg/Kg/día de TMZ y 50 mg/Kg/día de G(E). Se midieron los compuestos nitrogenados urea y creatinina, la excreción de gamma glutamiltranspeptidasa urinaria y se efectuaron estudios estructurales con tinción de hematoxilina-eosina y ultraestructurales. Se utilizó el grupo C como testigo de nefrotoxicidad inducida por G. El pretratamiento durante 20 días con TMZ demostró el efecto protector para la nefrotoxicidad inducida, sin cambios bioquímicos-funcionales, ni alteración de la histoarquitectura, ni de la ultraestructura. El tratamiento simultáneo con TMZ y G no mostró efecto protector. Se concluye que en el modelo de ratas macho Wistar se demuestra el efecto citoprotector de TMZ en tratamiento previo por 21 días. El estudio histológico del tejido renal, bajo estas condiciones, presenta histoarquitectura conservada y función renal normal. Se infiere que el efecto citoprotector de TMZ que impide la nefrotoxicidad inducida por G se debe a la inhibición de la reabsorción y acumulación de Gentamicina en la célula del túbulo proximal del nefrón.

Trimetazidine (TMZ) is a drug used as a cardioprotector since it prevents cell death secondary to myocardial ischemia. Some investigators have attributed protective effect, antioxidant activity and oxygen free radical scavenging abilityt to TMZ. The aim of the present work is to show the cytoprotective effect of TMZ on Gentamicin (G)-induced alterations at the level of the renal tubular cell. Schemes were designed in experimental animals treated with both drugs. Male Wistar rats weighing 200 to 260 g were divided into 5 groups (n=8) and treated with: standard diet (A); standard diet supplemented with 20 mg/Kg/day of TMZ for 27 days (B); standard diet supplemented with 50 mg/Kg/day of G for 7 days (C), pretreated for 20 days with 20 mg/Kg/day of TMZ and for the last 7 days with G (D), and treated simultaneously for 7 days with 20 mg/Kg/day of TMZ and 50 mg/Kg/day of G (E). The nitrogen compounds urea and creatinine were measured and so was the excretion of urinary gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Structural studies with hematoxilin and eosin staining and ultrastructural studies were also performed. Gentamicin was used as a control for nephrotoxicity (group C). Pretreatment with TMZ showed a protective effect against induced nephrotoxicity, with no biochemical changes or alterations in the histoarchitecture. Simultaneous treatment with TMZ and G (group E) showed no protective effect. Conclusions: the cytoprotective effect of TMZ on G-induced nephrotoxicity would take place at the level of the proximal tubular cell of the brush border by inhibiting G reabsorption and accumulation.

Identification of trimetazidine metabolites in human urine and plasma.

1. The objective was to use modern mass spectrometric techniques to update current information on the metabolism of trimetazidine in human subjects found by previous studies. 2. Urine and plasma samples were taken from four healthy human volunteers taking part in a larger kinetic study. Each subject received an oral dose of 80-mg trimetazidine daily for 4 days. 3. Identification and quantitation of trimetazidine and its metabolites in urine and plasma were achieved using modern liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric methods. 4. The major drug-related component observed in urine and plasma was unchanged trimetazidine. In addition to the parent drug, 10 metabolites were detected in urine in concentrations ranging from 0.008 (0.01% dose) to 1.094 micrograms.ml-1 (1.4% dose). Metabolic profiles following acute and chronic doses of trimetazidine were qualitatively similar.