title: A reappraisal of chloramphenicol metabolism: detection and quantification of metabolites in the sera of children.
abstract: Seventy-four samples of serum from 27 children (age range: 26 weeks preterm to 12 y) treated with chloramphenicol for serious infections, were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for the presence of chloramphenicol metabolites. Five, including a previously unreported human metabolite--chloramphenicol aldehyde, were detected and identified by comparative HPLC, enzymic degradation or gas chromatography followed by mass spectrometry. The presence of these metabolites in the serum suggests that the biotransformation of chloramphenicol takes place by oxidation, reduction and conjugation and not by conjugation alone, as has been previously supposed. Sera from 84% of the patients contained one or more metabolites, however the presence of particular compounds did not correlate with toxicity in the four patients in whom this was observed.
authors.affiliation: Karim Centre for Meningitis Research, RPMS Institute of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hurley
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harvey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001711:Biotransformation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002701:Chloramphenicol / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction
chemical_list: D002701:Chloramphenicol