Excretion study of 10-Methoxycamptothecin and its metabolite 10-Hydroxycamptothecin in rats by RP-HPLC method with fluorescence detection

[摘要] 10-Methoxycamptothecin (MCPT) and 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) are the indole alkaloids isolated from a Chinese tree, Camptotheca acuminata, and have a wide spectrum of anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo mainly through inhibitory effects on topoisomerase I. HCPT is a major metabolite of MCPT in rats; the pharmacokinetic analysis and tissue distribution of MCPT and HCPT in rats have also been determined after i.v. injection of MCPT, but the excretion of MCPT and its metabolite HCPT has not been assessed up to now. In the present study, the excretion study of MCPT and its metabolite HCPT in rat bile, feces, and urine after i.v. administration of MCPT (5 mg kg−1) was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method coupled with a fluorescence detector. The results showed that MCPT mainly biotransformed to HCPT and excreted in the form of HCPT and MCPT in bile, urine, and feces after i.v. administration of MCPT. It was excreted about 1.24 ± 0.07% as MCPT and 5.49 ± 0.40% as HCPT in bile within 6 h after i.v. administration. The cumulative excretions of MCPT and HCPT were mainly within 24 h after i.v. administration, which were 0.41 ± 0.10% and 7.66 ± 1.43% of the dosage in urine and about 0.16 ± 0.04% and 20.30 ± 3.35% of the dosage in feces. The total excretion of MCPT in urine, bile, and feces was 1.81 ± 0.09% in the form of original MCPT and 33.45 ± 1.57% detected as the metabolite HCPT in urine, bile, and feces, suggesting that MCPT might undergo other biotransformation.

[学科分类] 化学（综合）

[关键词] 10-Methoxycamptothecin;10-hydroxycamptothecin;excretion;metabolism;high-performance liquid chromatography