Stereospecificity and stereoselectivity of flobufen metabolic profile in male rats in vitro and in vivo: phase I of biotransformation.

Flobufen (F) is the original nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) containing two enantiomers. The aim of this investigation was to elucidate the biotransformation pathway of F at chiral level in phase I of biotransformation. Stereoselectivity and stereospecificity of the respective enzymes were studied in male rats in vitro (microsomal and cytosolic fractions, hepatocytes suspension) and in vivo. The rac-F, (+)-R-F and (-)-S-F were used as substrates. Amounts of F enantiomers, 4-dihydroflobufen diastereoisomers (DHF) and other metabolites (M-17203, UM) were determined with a chiral HPLC method in two chromatographic runs on R,R-ULMO and allyl-terguride bonded columns. Stereoselective biotransformation of the two enantiomers of F was observed at all tested levels and significant bidirectional chiral inversion of enantiomers of F was observed in hepatocytes. Mean enantiomeric ratios of F concentrations (S-/R-), after rac-F incubations, ranging from 1.09 in cytosolic fraction to 18.23 in hepatocytes. Stereospecificity of the respective F reductases was also observed. (2R;4S)-DHF and (2S;4S)-DHF are the principal metabolites of F in microsomes and hepatocytes. Neither DHF diastereoisomers nor M-17203 were found in cytosolic fraction. Only the nonchiral metabolite, M-17203, was found in all urine and feces samples after oral administration of F.     

Reduction of flobufen in pig hepatocytes: effect of pig breed (domestic,wild) and castration

Knowledge of the biotransformation processes of veterinary drugs and food supplements in food-producing animals is increasingly important. Residual levels of parent compounds or their metabolites in food of animal origin may differ with the breed, breeding conditions, and gender of animals. The nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug flobufen, 4-(2',4'-difluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-2-methyl-4-oxobutanoic acid (racemic or its individual enantiomers) was used as a model to evaluate differences in activity, stereoselectivity, and stereospecificity of reductases in primary cultures of hepatocytes from intact male or castrated male domestic pigs (Sus scrofa domestica) or male wild pig (Sus scrofa scrofa). Time-dependent consumption of flobufen enantiomers and formation of dihydroflobufen (DHF) diastereoisomers as their principal metabolites in hepatocytes were measured using chiral HPLC. Flobufen reduction in hepatocytes from all three experimental groups of animals was stereoselective ((+)-R-flobufen was predominantly metabolized) and stereospecific (2R;4S-DHF and 2S;4S-DHF diastereoisomers were preferentially formed). Flobufen reductases activity in male domestic pigs was 30 times higher compared to castrated pigs. Flobufen reductases activity was similar in domestic and wild pigs. The stereospecificity and stereoselectivity of DHF production did not significantly differ with breed or castration of animal. Chiral inversion of flobufen enantiomers was also studied and differences between castrated and intact male pigs were seen.     

Stereoselective pharmacokinetics and metabolism of flobufen in guinea pigs

Stereoselective aspects of pharmacokinetics and metabolism of a chiral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, flobufen, 4-(2', 4'-difluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-2-methyl-4-oxobutanoic acid, were studied in male guinea pigs after p.o. administration of racemic flobufen (rac-flobufen) at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Blood samples were collected at intervals over 16 h after the administration of rac-flobufen for the quantification of flobufen enantiomers and their respective metabolites in plasma by chiral high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Compartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was used to determine pharmacokinetic parameters of R- and S-flobufen. The plasma concentrations of the S- and R-enantiomers differed significantly during the experimental period. The S/R-enantiomeric ratio in 7plasma reached a maximum value of 10.1 at 240 min postdose. The oral clearance value of R-flobufen was five times higher than S-flobufen. The other pharmacokinetic parameters (K(e), T(1/2), V(SS)/F, MRT) of the enantiomers also differed substantially. All four stereoisomers of the dihydrometabolite of flobufen were detected in plasma with varying concentrations. Metabolite 17203 [4-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-phenylacetic acid] exhibited a relatively longer residence time compared to that noted for the enantiomers of the parent compound. Pharmacokinetics of the flobufen enantiomers were stereoselective in guinea pigs. The metabolism of flobufen was complex. However, metabolite 17203 seemed to be the main metabolite of flobufen that may be responsible for its relatively long-lasting antiphlogistic and immunomodulatory effects.     

Stereoselective pharmacokinetics of flobufen in rats

Stereoselectivity of the pharmacokinetics of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug flobufen, 4-(2', 4'-difluorobiphenyl-4-yl)-2-methyl-4-oxobutanoic acid, was studied in male Wistar rats after intravenous administration. Pharmacokinetic parameters and chiral inversion of flobufen enantiomers were studied after a bolus injection of the racemate and individual enantiomers (5 mg/kg). Determinations of the enantiomers in rat plasma were performed using chiral HPLC (terguride column). After i.v. administration of flobufen racemate, plasma levels of R-enantiomer decreased more rapidly. The S-/R-enantiomer ratio of AUCs after rac-flobufen was 13.3. The total plasma clearance value of S-flobufen was more than 10-fold lower than R-flobufen. The other pharmacokinetic parameters of the enantiomers were also significantly different. While only traces of R-enantiomer (less than 1%) were detected in rat plasma after S-flobufen administration, considerable conversion to the S-enantiomer was found after injection of R-flobufen (R-enantiomer AUC/S-enantiomer AUC = 0.52). The results indicate substantial stereoselectivity in the disposition of flobufen enantiomers in the rat, which is, at least in part, attributed to chiral bioconversion.     

Stereospecificity of flobufen metabolism in guinea pigs in vitro and in vivo: phase I of biotransformation

Flobufen (F) is an original nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug that exists in two enantiomeric forms. Its biotransformation was investigated in male guinea pigs because of the similarities shown in a preliminary F metabolic study between guinea pig and man. Stereospecificity of the respective enzymes was studied in vitro, using microsomes and cytosol, and in vivo, in urine and feces. Rac-F, R-F, and S-F served as substrates. The amount of 4-dihydroflobufen stereoisomers (DHF) and other metabolites (M-17203 and UM-2) was determined by chiral HPLC using an R,R-ULMO column. It was observed that F reductases were distributed differently in microsomes and cytosol. The microsomal fraction showed higher activity and different stereospecificity in rac-F, R-F, and S-F reduction compared to cytosol. (2R;4S)-DHF was the principle metabolite in microsomes and (2S;4S)-DHF was the principle metabolite in cytosol. In vivo experiments revealed the excretion of a main metabolite UM-2 in addition to other metabolites M-17203 and DHF stereoisomers. UM-2 was predominantly excreted after S-F administration. Stereoselectivity of DHF stereoisomers excretion was different in urine and in feces. The absence of UM-2 and M-17203 in microsomes and cytosol and their presence in urine and feces showed that both could arise in some other extrahepatic tissue or cell compartment or that their formation depends on liver cell integrity.     

The stereoselective metabolism of halofantrine to desbutylhalofantrine in the rat: evidence of tissue-specific enantioselectivity in microsomal metabolism

The pharmacokinetics of the antimalarial drug (+/-)-halofantrine are stereoselective in humans and rats. To better understand the stereoselective metabolism of the drug to its primary metabolite, desbutylhalofantrine (DHF), a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments were undertaken in the rat. Formation of (-)-DHF exceeded that of (+)-DHF in liver microsomes [(-):(+) ratio of intrinsic formation clearances = 1.4]. In contrast, in intestinal microsomes no significant stereoselectivity was noted in the formation of the DHF enantiomers. Intestinal microsomes were also less efficient at producing the DHF enantiomers than were liver microsomes. Based on kinetic analysis of the DHF formation, there appeared to be more than one enzyme involved in the biotransformation. (+/-)-Ketoconazole (KTZ) effectively inhibited the formation of both DHF enantiomers by both liver and intestinal microsomes, although the reduction was more marked in liver microsomes. Through a combination of the use of CYP antibodies and recombinant CYP isoenzymes, the involvement of CYP 2B1/2, 3A1, 3A2, 1A1, 2C11, 2C6, 2D1, and 2D2 were implicated in the metabolism of halofantrine to DHF. Of these, CYP3A1/2 and CYP2C11 appeared to be the primary isoenzymes involved, although CYP2C11 showed greater (+)-DHF than (-)-DHF formation, whereas for CYP3A1 it was similar to the isolated rat liver microsomes. In vivo, oral (+/-)-KTZ caused significant increases in plasma halofantrine and decreases in DHF enantiomer plasma concentrations.     

Formation of glycine conjugate and (-)-(R)-enantiomer from (+)-(S)-2-phenylpropionic acid suggesting the formation of the CoA thioester intermediate of (+)-(S)-enantiomer in dogs.

It has been proposed that the chiral inversion of the 2-arylpropionic acids is due to the stereospecific formation of the (-)-R-profenyl-CoA thioesters which are putative intermediates in the inversion. Accordingly, amino acid conjugation, for which the CoA thioesters are obligate intermediates, should be restricted to those optical forms which give rise to the (-)-R-profenyl-CoA, i.e., the racemates and the (-)-(R)-isomers. We have examined this problem in dogs with respect to 2-phenylpropionic acid(2-PPA). Regardless of the optical configuration of 2-phenylpropionic acid administered, the glycine conjugate was the major urinary metabolite and this was shown to be exclusively the (+)-(S)-enantiomer by chiral HPLC. Both (-)-(R)- and (+)-(S)-2-phenylpropionic acid were present in plasma after the administration of either antipode, and further evidence of the chiral inversion of both enantiomers was provided by the presence of some 25% of the opposite enantiomer in the free 2-phenylpropionic acid and its glucuronide excreted in urine after administration of (-)-(R)- and (+)-(S)-2-phenylpropionic acid. The (+)-(S)-enantiomer underwent chiral inversion to the (-)-(R)-antipode when incubated with dog hepatocytes. These data suggests that both enantiomers of 2-phenylpropionic acid are substrates for canine hepatic acyl CoA ligase(s) and thus undergo chiral inversion, but that the CoA thioester of only (+)-(S)-2-phenylpropionic acid is a substrate for the glycine N-acyl transferase. These studies are presently being extended to the structure and species specificity of the reverse inversion and amino acid conjugation of profen NSAIDs.     

Chiral separation and determination of R-(-)- and S-(+)-baclofen in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

The method presented here is a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-UV detection method for the determination of baclofen R-(-)- and S-(+)-enantiomers in human plasma using a chiral separation technique. Baclofen enantiomers were extracted from human plasma with a reversed-phase solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. The extract was then injected onto a HPLC system with a UV detection system set at 220 nm. The separation was achieved by using a 150x4.6 mm, 5 microm Phenomenex chirex 3216 chiral column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.4 mM CuSO(4) in acetonitrile-20 mM sodium acetate (17:83). The calibration curves were linear for both R-(-)- and S-(+)-enantiomers of baclofen in the concentration range of 20-5000 ng/ml. The average regressions were 0.9980 and 0.9991 for R-(-)- and S-(+)-baclofen, respectively. Inter-day precision was 3.3-5.2% for R-(-)-baclofen and 3.5-3.9% for S-(+)-baclofen at a concentration range of 60-4000 ng/ml. Intra-day precisions were 0.6-4.4 and 0.5-3.5% for R-(-)-baclofen and S-(+)-baclofen, respectively. The average extraction recovery was 81.6% for R-(-)-baclofen, 83.0% for S-(+)-baclofen and 94.0% for the internal standard (p-aminobenzoic acid). The limit of quantitation for both R-(-)- and S-(+)-baclofen in human plasma was 20 ng/ml. The method is simple and easy to operate with accuracy and reproducibility and it is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies.     

Quantitative determination of ondansetron in human plasma by enantioselective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and enantioselective method was developed and validated for the determination of ondansetron enantiomers in human plasma using enantioselective liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The enantiomers of ondansetron were extracted from plasma using ethyl acetate under alkaline conditions. HPLC separation was performed on an ovomucoid column using an isocratic mobile phase of methanol-5 mM ammonium acetate-acetic acid (20:80:0.02, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. Acquisition of mass spectrometric data was performed in multiple reaction monitoring mode, using the transitions of m/z 294-->170 for ondansetron enantiomers, and m/z 285-->124 for tropisetron (internal standard). The method was linear in the concentration range of 0.10-40 ng/mL for each enantiomer using 200 microL of plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for each enantiomer was 0.10 ng/mL. The intra- and inter-assay precision was 3.7-11.6% and 5.6-12.3% for R-(-)-ondansetron and S-(+)-ondansetron, respectively. The accuracy was 100.4-107.1% for R-(-)-ondansetron and 103.3-104.9% for S-(+)-ondansetron. No chiral inversion was observed during the plasma storage, preparation and analysis. The method was successfully applied to characterize the pharmacokinetic profiles of ondansetron enantiomers in healthy volunteers after an intravenous infusion of 8 mg racemic ondansetron.     

Stereospecific determination,chiral inversion in vitro and pharmacokinetics in humans of the enantiomers of thalidomide

The purposes of this work were (1) to develop a high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for the enantiomers of thalidomide in blood, (2) to study their inversion and degradation in human blood, and (3) to study the pharmacokinetics of (+)-(R)- and (?)-(S)-thalidomide after oral administration of the separate enantiomers or of the racemate to healthy male volunteers. The enantiomers of thalidomide were determined by direct resolution on a tribenzoyl cellulose column. Mean rate constants of chiral inversion of (+)-(R)-thalidomide and (?)-(S)-thalidomide in blood at 37°C were 0.30 and 0.31 h^?1, respectively. Rate constants of degradation were 0.17 and 0.18 h^?1. There was rapid interconversion in vivo in humans, the (+)-(R)-enantiomer predominating at equilibrium. The pharmacokinetics of (+)-(R)- and (?)-(S)-thalidomide could be characterized by means of two one-compartment models connected by rate constants for chiral inversion. Mean rate constants for in vivo inversion were 0.17 h^?1 (R to S) and 0.12 h^?1 (S to R) and for elimination 0.079 h^?1 (R) and 0.24 h^?1 (S), i.e., a considerably faster rate of elimination of the (?)-(S)-enantiomer. Putative differences in therapeutic or adverse effects between (+)-(R)- and (?)-(S)-thalidomide would to a large extent be abolished by rapid interconversion in vivo. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Enantiomers of thalidomide: blood distribution and the influence of serum albumin on chiral inversion and hydrolysis

The aim of this investigation was to elucidate the distribution and reactions of the enantiomers of thalidomide at their main site of biotransformation in vivo, i.e., in human blood. Plasma protein binding, erythrocyte: plasma distribution, and the kinetics of chiral inversion and degradation in buffer, plasma, and solutions of human serum albumin (HSA) were studied by means of a stereospecific HPLC assay. The enantiomers of thalidomide were not extensively bound to blood or plasma components. The geometric mean plasma protein binding was 55% and 66%, respectively, for (+)-(R)- and (−)-(S)-thalidomide. The corresponding geometric mean blood:plasma concentration ratios were 0.86 and 0.95 (at a haematocrit of 0.37) and erythrocyte:plasma distributions were 0.58 and 0.87. The rates of inversion and hydrolysis of the enantiomers increased with pH over the range 7.0–7.5. HSA, and to a lesser extent human plasma, catalysed the chiral inversion, but not the degradation, of (+)-(R)- and (−)-(S)-thalidomide. The addition of capric acid or preincubation of HSA with acetylsalicylic acid or physostigmine impaired the catalysis to varying extents. Correction for distribution in blood enhances previously observed differences between the pharmacokinetics of the enantiomers in vivo. The findings also support the notion that chiral inversion in vivo takes place mainly in the circulation and in albumin-rich extravascular spaces while hydrolysis occurs more uniformly in the body. In addition, the chiral inversion and hydrolysis of thalidomide apparently occur by several different mechanisms. Chirality 10:223–228, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of stereoisomers of 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-thymidine

Six products were isolated by reverse phase HPLC from the reaction of thymidine with osmium tetroxide. Four of the products were identified as stereoisomers of 5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-thymidine (TG). The absolute configurations of these four compounds (from the shortest to the longest HPLC retention times) were determined by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to be (-)-trans-5S,6S-, (+)-trans-5R,6R-, (-)-cis-5R,6S-, and (+)-cis-5S,6R-5,6-dihydro-5,6-dihydroxy-thymidine. The other two products were dimers with unknown linking sites. Parameters of the mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra are reported and discussed.     

Chiral reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography for determining propranolol enantiomers in transgenic Chinese hamster CHL cell lines expressing human cytochrome P450

An enantioselective assay for S-(-)- and R-(+)-propranolol in transgenic Chinese hamster CHL cell lines, expressing human cytochrome P450 (CYP), was developed. The method involves extraction of propranolol from the S(9) incubates, using S-(+)-propafenone as internal standard, chiral derivatization with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-beta-D-glucopranosyl isothiocyanate and quantitation by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography system with UV detection (lambda=220 nm). A baseline separation of propranolol enantiomers was achieved on a 5-microm reverse-phase ODS column, with a mixture of methanol/water/glacial acetic acid (67:33:0.05, v/v) as mobile phase. The assay is linear from 5 to 500 microM for each enantiomer. The analytical method affords average recoveries of 99.2% and 98.8% for S-(-)- and R-(+)-propranolol, respectively. The limit of quantitation for the method is 5 microM for both S-(-)- and R-(+)-propranolol. The reproducibility of the assay is satisfactory (RSD < 10%). The method allowed study of the depletion of S-(-)- and R-(+)-propranolol in transgenic Chinese hamster CHL cell lines expressing CYP3A4, CYP2C18 and CYP2C9.     

Metabolic chiral inversion of ibuprofen in isolated rat hepatocytes

Ibuprofen was used to demonstrate that isolated rat hepatocytes offer a suitable in vitro model to investigate the metabolic chiral inversion of anti-inflammatory 2-arylpropionic acids (profens). The inversion of the pharmacologically inactive (-)-(R)-ibuprofen to the active (+)-(S)-ibuprofen was shown to obey apparent first-order kinetics during 5 h and to increase linearly with increasing hepatocyte concentration up to 4 x 10(5) cells/ml. No elimination of (R)-ibuprofen by routes other than inversion was seen, whereas the elimination of (S)-ibuprofen appeared to be saturable.     

Stereoselective degradation of benalaxyl in tomato, tobacco, sugar beet, capsicum, and soil

The stereoselective degradation of the racemic benalaxyl in vegetables such as tomato, tobacco, sugar beet, capsicum, and the soil has been investigated. The two enantiomers of benalaxyl in the matrix were extracted by organic solvent and determined by validated chiral high-performance liquid chromatography with a cellulose-tris-(3, 5-dimethylphenylcarbamate)-based chiral column. Rac-benalaxyl was fortified into the soil and foliar applied to vegetables. The assay method was linear over a range of concentrations (0.5-50 microg ml(-1)) and the mean recoveries in all the samples were more than 70% for the two enantiomers. The limit of detection for both enantiomers was 0.05 microg g(-1). The results in soil showed that R-(-)-enantiomer dissipated faster than S-(+)-enantiomer and the stereoselectivity might be caused by microorganisms. In tomato, tobacco, sugar, beet, and capsicum plants, there was significantly stereoselective metabolism. The preferential absorption and degradation of S-(+)-enantiomer resulted an enrichment of the R-(-)-enantiomer residue in all the vegetables.     

Stereoselective RP-HPLC determination of esmolol enantiomers in human plasma after pre-column derivatization

A stereoselective reversed-phase HPLC assay to determine S-(-) and R-(+) enantiomers of esmolol in human plasma was developed. The method involved liquid-liquid extraction of esmolol from human plasma, using S-(-)-propranolol as the internal standard, and employed 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-beta-d-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate as a pre-column chiral derivatization reagent. The derivatized products were separated on a 5-microm reversed-phase C18 column with a mixture of acetonitrile/0.02 mol/L phosphate buffer (pH 4.5) (55:45, v/v) as mobile phase. The detection of esmolol derivatives was made at lambda=224 nm with UV detector. The assay was linear from 0.035 to 12 microg/ml for each enantiomer. The analytical method afforded average recoveries of 94.8% and 95.5% for S-(-)- and R-(+)-esmolol, respectively. For each enantiomer, the limit of detection was 0.003 microg/ml and the limit of quantification for the method was 0.035 microg/ml (RSD<14%). The reproducibility of the assay was satisfactory.     

The absolute configuration of benproperinium dihydrogen phosphate, an antitussive drug

The (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of benproperinium dihydrogen phosphate, an antitussive drug, have been assigned the R- and S-configurations, respectively, by syntheses of both enantiomers using (S)-2-hydroxypropanoic acid (L-lactic acid) as chiral synthon. The key intermediate, (S)-1-methyl-2-[2-(phenylmethyl)phenoxy]ethyl p-toluenesulfonate, was subjected to an SN2-type reaction with piperidine furnishing (+)-(R)-benproperinium dihydrogen phosphate. (-)-(S)-Benproperinium dihydrogen phosphate was obtained by submitting the same tosylate to two consecutive SN2-type reactions with Br- and piperidine, respectively, acting as nucleophiles.     

Development and validation of a chiral liquid chromatographic method, based on Chiralpak to quantify enantiomers of (+/-)-DRF 2725 in rat plasma: lack of inversion of ragaglitazar (S(-)-DRF 2725) to its antipode in plasma

A selective, accurate and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the separation of individual enantiomers of DRF 2725 [R(+)-DRF 2725 and S(-)-DRF 2725 or ragaglitazar] was obtained on a chiral HPLC column (Chiralpak). During method optimization, the separation of enantiomers of DRF 2725 was investigated to determine whether mobile phase composition, flow-rate and column temperature could be varied to yield the base line separation of the enantiomers. Following liquid-liquid extraction, separation of enantiomers of DRF 2725 and internal standard (I.S., desmethyl diazepam) was achieved using an amylose based chiral column (Chiralpak AD) with the mobile phase, n-hexane-propanol-ethanol-trifluoro acetic acid (TFA) in the ratio of 89.5:4:6:0.5 (v/v). Baseline separation of DRF 2725 enantiomers and I.S., free from endogenous interferences, was achieved in less than 25 min. The eluate was monitored using an UV detector set at 240 nm. Ratio of peak area of each enantiomer to I.S. was used for quantification of plasma samples. Nominal retention times of R(+)-DRF 2725, S(-)-DRF 2725 and I.S. were 15.8, 17.7 and 22.4 min, respectively. The standard curves for DRF 2725 enantiomers were linear (R(2) > 0.999) in the concentration range 0.3-50 microg/ml for each enantiomer. Absolute recovery, when compared to neat standards, was 70-85% for DRF 2725 enantiomers and 96% for I.S. from rat plasma. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for each enantiomers of DRF 2725 was 0.3 microg/ml. The inter-day precisions were in the range of 1.71-4.60% and 3.77-5.91% for R(+)-DRF 2725, S(-)-DRF 2725, respectively. The intra-day precisions were in the range of 1.06-11.5% and 0.58-12.7% for R(+)-DRF 2725, S(-)-DRF 2725, respectively. Accuracy in the measurement of quality control (QC) samples was in the range 83.4-113% and 83.3-113% for R(+)-DRF 2725, S(-)-DRF 2725, respectively. Both enantiomers and I.S. were stable in the battery of stability studies viz., bench-top (up to 6 h), auto-sampler (up to 12 h) and freeze/thaw cycles (n = 3). Stability of DRF 2725 enantiomers was established for 15 days at -20 degrees C. The application of the assay to a pharmacokinetic study of ragaglitazar [S(-)-DRF 2725] in rats is described. It was unequivocally demonstrated that ragaglitazar does not undergo chiral inversion to its antipode in vivo in rat plasma.     

Stereoselective disposition of tiaprofenic acid enantiomers in rats

The pharmacokinetics and metabolic chiral inversion of the S(+)‐ and R(−)‐enantiomers of tiaprofenic acid (S‐TIA, R‐TIA) were assessed in vivo in rats, and in addition the biochemistry of inversion was investigated in vitro in rat liver homogenates. Drug enantiomer concentrations in plasma were investigated following administration of S‐TIA and R‐TIA (i.p. 3 and 9 mg/kg) over 24 hr. Plasma concentrations of TIA enantiomers were determined by stereospecific HPLC analysis. After administration of R‐TIA it was found that 1) there was a time delay of peak S‐TIA plasma concentrations, 2) S‐TIA concentrations exceeded R‐TIA concentrations from ∼2 hr after dosing, 3) C_max and AUC_(0‐∞) for S‐TIA were greater than for R‐TIA following administration of S‐TIA, and 4) inversion was bidirectional but favored inversion of R‐TIA to S‐TIA. Bidirectional inversion was also observed when TIA enantiomers were incubated with liver homogenates up to 24 hr. However, the rate of inversion favored transformation of the R‐enantiomer to the S‐enantiomer. In conclusion, stereoselective pharmacokinetics of R‐ and S‐TIA were observed in rats and bidirectional inversion in rat liver homogenates has been demonstrated for the first time. Chiral inversion of TIA may involve metabolic routes different from those associated with inversion of other 2‐arylpropionic acids such as ibuprofen. Chirality 11:103–108, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Stereoselective metabolism of benalaxyl in liver microsomes from rat and rabbit

Benalaxyl (BX), methyl‐N‐phenylacetyl‐N‐2,6‐xylyl alaninate, is a potent acylanilide fungicide and consist of a pair of enantiomers. The stereoselective metabolism of BX was investigated in rat and rabbit microsomes in vitro. The degradation kinetics and the enantiomer fraction (EF) were determined using normal high‐performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection and a cellulose‐tris‐(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate)‐based chiral stationary phase (CDMPC‐CSP). The t_1/2 of (?)‐R‐BX and (+)‐S‐BX in rat liver microsomes were 22.35 and 10.66 min of rac‐BX and 5.42 and 4.03 of BX enantiomers. However, the t_1/2 of (?)‐R‐BX and (+)‐S‐BX in rabbit liver microsomes were 11.75 and 15.26 min of rac‐BX and 5.66 and 9.63 of BX enantiomers. The consequence was consistent with the stereoselective toxicokinetics of BX in vitro. There was no chiral inversion from the (?)‐R‐BX to (+)‐S‐BX or inversion from (+)‐S‐BX to (?)‐R‐BX in both rabbit and rat microsomes. These results suggested metabolism of BX enantiomers was stereoselective in rat and rabbit liver microsomes. Chirality, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.