Identification of a novel N-carbamoyl glucuronide: in vitro, in vivo, and mechanistic studies

1-[4-Aminomethyl-4-(3-chlorophenyl)-cyclohexyl]-tetrahydro-pyrimidin- 2-one, 1, was developed as an inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 enzyme. Biotransformation studies with 1 revealed the presence of an N-carbamoyl glucuronide metabolite (M1) in rat bile and urine. N-Carbamoyl glucuronides are rarely observed, and little is understood regarding the mechanism of N-carbamoyl glucuronidation. The objectives of the current investigation were to elucidate the structure of the novel N-carbamoyl glucuronide, to investigate the mechanism of N-carbamoyl glucuronide formation in vitro using stable labeled CO(2), UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) reaction phenotyping, and to assess whether M1 was formed to the same extent in vitro across species-mouse, rat, hamster, dog, monkey, and human. Structure elucidation was performed on a mass spectrometer with accurate mass measurement and MS(n) capabilities. (13)C-labeled carbon dioxide was used for identification of the mechanism of N-carbamoyl glucuronidation. Mechanistic studies with (13)C-labeled CO(2) in rat liver microsomes revealed that CO(2) from the bicarbonate buffer (in equilibrium with exogenous CO(2)) may be responsible for the formation of M1. M1 was formed in vitro in liver microsomes from multiple species, mainly rat and hamster, followed by similar formation in dog, monkey, mouse, and human. M1 could be detected in UGT1A1, UGT1A3, and UGT2B7 Supersomes in a CO(2)-rich environment. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that formation of M1 was observed in microsomal incubations across various species and strongly suggests incorporation of CO(2) from the bicarbonate buffer, in equilibrium with exogenous CO(2), into the carbamoyl moiety of the formed N-carbamoyl glucuronide.