Isolation of 10 cyclosporine metabolites from human bile

Ten metabolites of cyclosporine were isolate from the ethyl ether extract of bile from four liver transplant patients receiving cyclosporine. Two of the metabolites were unique and previously unidentified. Liquid-liquid partitioning into diethyl ether with subsequent defatting with n-hexane was used for the initial extraction from bile. Separation of the individual metabolites (A-J) was performed using a Sephadex LH-20 column and a gradient high performance liquid chromatographic method. The molecular weights of the isolated metabolites were determined by fast atom bombardment/mass spectrometry. Gas chromatography with mass spectrometric amino acid analysis was also used to identify the amino acid composition and the hydroxylation position of metabolites A, B, C, D, and G. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were utilized to distinguish the chemical shifts of N-CH3 singlets and NH doublets of metabolites A, B, C, and D. Metabolites A, E, F, H, I, and J were reported previously in human urine and animal bile. Metabolites C and D are dihydroxylated compounds which cannot be clearly described as previously isolated compounds. Metabolites B and G are novel metabolites with a mass fragment which corresponded to a loss of 131 Da from the protonated molecular ion (MH+) in the fast atom bombardment/mass spectrometry, suggesting that the double bond in amino acid 1 has been modified. Metabolites B and G were primarily isolated from the bile of one of the liver transplant patients which contained abnormally high concentrations of these two metabolites. The method described is an efficient procedure for isolating milligram quantities of the major metabolites with greater than 95% purity.