In vitro metabolism of a nitroderivative of acetylsalicylic acid (NCX4016) by rat liver: LC and LC-MS studies.
The metabolism of a nitroderivative of acetylsalicylic acid, benzoic acid, 2-(acetyloxy)-3-[(nitrooxy)methyl]phenyl ester (NCX4016), the lead compound of a new class of NO-releasing non steroidal-antiinflammatory drugs has been studied in vitro in rat liver subcellular fractions (S 9000xg, microsomes, cytosol). Samples were extracted with CH3CN (2 vol.) containing 1% H3PO4 (2 M), vortexed for 3 min and then centrifuged for 5 min at 5000 rpm. Supernatants were diluted with 0.02 M phosphoric acid and analysed by reverse-phase LC. Linearity of calibration for NCX4016 and metabolites was observed over the range 0.25-50 microg/ml with coefficients of determination greater than 0.9996. Extraction efficiency from spiked liver samples ranged from 85 to 95% for all the analytes. In the S 9000xg fraction, NCX4016 undergoes rapid metabolization, with the formation of salicylic acid (SA) and [3-(nitrooxymethyl)phenol] (HBN). HBN is then rapidly metabolised to 3-hydroxybenzylalcohol (HBA), and mainly to a new metabolic species, whose formation takes place specifically in the liver cell cytosol. LC-MS analysis (electrospray ionisation) of the cytosol extract in negative and positive-ion modes furnished deprotonated [M-H]- and protonated [M+H]+ molecular ions at m/z 412 and 414, respectively, accompanied by the typical clusters with sodium. MS/MS analysis in negative-ion mode, by selection and collision of the ion at m/z 412, gave a fragmentation pattern characterized by the ions at m/z 272 and 254, which allowed to assign the structure of 1-(glutathion-S-yl)methylene-3-hydroxy-benzene, a conjugated product between GSH and the benzyl carbon atom of HBN. In rat liver cytosol HBN is completely metabolised to this thioether adduct within 30 min incubation; the process is enzymatically mediated by GSH transferase and strictly dependent on GSH availability. The relevance of this new metabolic pathway in NCX4016 detoxification by rat liver is discussed.
Istituto Chimico Farmaceutico Tossicologico, Viale Abruzzi 42, Milan, Italy. marina.carini@unimi.it
Marina
M
Carini
Giancarlo
G
Aldini
Marica
M
Orioli
Roberto
R
Maffei Facino
D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003600:Cytosol / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D008297:Male; D008862:Microsomes, Liver / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; C102148:nitroaspirin; D001241:Aspirin