Identification of felodipine metabolites in rat urine

After intragastric administration of 100 mumol kg-1 [14C]felodipine to rats eight urinary metabolites were isolated. Batch extraction at pH 2.2 and semipreparative reversed-phase liquid chromatography were used for trace enrichment of the metabolites. Trimethylsilylation followed by transesterification with diazomethane blocked the carboxylic acid and alcohol groups selectively before gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in the electron impact (EI) mode. Deuterated derivatives of the metabolites and chemical ionization measurements added complementary structural information. All metabolites reported in this study were formed from oxidized felodipine by ester hydrolysis. Hydroxylation of the pyridine methyl group represented an important metabolic pathway and metabolites oxidized to the corresponding carboxylic acids were detected as well. Lactone formation from hydroxy acid metabolites in urine as a possible analytical artefact is discussed.