title: Defective N-oxidation of sparteine in man: a new pharmacogenetic defect.
abstract: Sparteine, an antiarrhythmic and oxytocic drug, is metabolised by N1-oxidation. The sparteine-N1-oxide rearranges with loss of water to 2- and 5-dehydrosparteine. 18 (i.e., 5%) out of 360 subjects were unable to metabolise the drug. These persons, who were designated as nonmetabolisers, excreted almost 100% of the administered dose in urine as unchanged drug. The defective metabolism of sparteine was found to have a genetic basis. Sparteine-N1-oxidation appears to be determined by two allelic genes at a single locus where nonmetabolisers are homozygous for an autosomal recessive gene.
mesh_terms: D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008967:Molecular Biology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010641:Phenotype; D013034:Sparteine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D013034:Sparteine