Interspecies Differences in the Metabolism of a Multiester Prodrug by Carboxylesterases

The pentaethyl ester prodrug of the chelating agent diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) referred to as C2E5 is being developed as an orally bioavailable radionuclide decorporation agent. The predicted human efficacy obtained in these experimental animals is confounded by interspecies variations of metabolism. Therefore, in the present study, carboxylesterase-mediated metabolism of [(14)C]-C2E5 was compared in the S9 intestinal and hepatic fractions of human, dog, and rat and their respective plasma. Intestinal hydrolysis of C2E5, resulting in the formation of the tetraethyl ester of DTPA (C2E4), was only detected in human and rat. The primary metabolite in human and dog hepatic fractions was C2E4, whereas the predominant species identified in rat hepatic fractions was the triethyl ester (C2E3). Hepatic hydrolysis of C2E5 causes the formation of C2E4 in human, dog, and rat and C2E3 in rat only. Minimal C2E5 hydrolysis was observed in human and dog plasma, whereas in rat plasma C2E5 converted to C2E3 rapidly, followed by slower further metabolism. Both recombinant CES1 and CES2 play roles in C2E5 metabolism. Together, these data suggest that dogs may be the most appropriate species for predicting human C2E5 metabolism, whereas rats might be useful for clarifying the potential toxicity of C2E5 metabolites.