The disposition of quinfamide in the rat

The disposition of quinfamide 1-(dichloroacetyl)-6-(2-furoyloxy)-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydroquinoline, an enteric anti-amoebic agent, was studied in the rat. A peak blood level equivalent to 2.3 micrograms/ml of quinfamide was observed at 7 hr following a 20 mg/kg oral dose. Urinary recovery of radioactivity was much higher (84%) following intravenous than oral (48%) administration. Drug levels, in all of the tissues examined. were low. The major pathways of quinfamide metabolism in the rat involve hydrolysis of one or both ester groups, acetylation of the de-acylated product to 1-acetyl-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydro-6-quinolinol, oxidation of this to the 1-glycolyl metabolite, and aromatization to 6-hydroxyquinoline.