Metabolic study of pholcodine in urine using enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (EMIT) and capillary gas chromatography.
A study of pholcodine metabolism in man is reported. Three subjects received a single therapeutic oral dose of 50 mg pholcodine and urine samples were collected as long as a positive opiate response could be detected by EMIT (16-26 days). Pholcodine was found to conjugate with glucuronic acid and 15% (13-17%) of the pholcodine dose was excreted in urine as the glucuronide, and 29% (24-35%) as unconjugated pholcodine. Morphine was detected to be a metabolite of pholcodine and 0.5-1% of the pholcodine dose was excreted as morphine glucuronide. The identity of morphine was confirmed by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS).
Johansen
M
M
Institute of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Norway.
Rasmussen
K E
KE
Christophersen
A S
AS
Skuterud
B
B
D000328:Adult; D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000652:urine*; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D003061:Codeine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009025:Morpholines / Q000652:urine*
D000996:Antitussive Agents; D009025:Morpholines; C008872:pholcodine; D003061:Codeine