A new metabolite of nodakenetin by rat liver microsomes and its quantification by RP‐HPLC method

The biotransformation of nodakenetin (NANI) by rat liver microsomes in vitro was investigated. Two major polar metabolites were produced by liver microsomes from phenobarbital-pretreated rats and detected by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis. The chemical structures of two metabolites were firmly identified as 3'(R)-hydroxy-nodakenetin-3'-ol and 3'(S)-hydroxy-nodakenetin-3'-ol, respectively, on the basis of their (1)H-NMR, MS and optical rotation analysis. The latter was a new compound. A sensitive, selective and simple RP-HPLC method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of NANI and its two major metabolites in rat liver microsomes. Chromatographic conditions comprise a C(18) column, a mobile phase with MeOH-H(2)O (40 : 60, v/v), a total run time of 40 min, and ultraviolet absorbance detection at 330 nm. In the rat heat-inactivated liver microsomal supernatant, the lower limits of detection and quantification of metabolite I, metabolite II and NANI were 5.0, 2.0, 10.0 ng/mL and 20.0, 5.0, 50.0 ng/mL, respectively, and their calibration curves were linear over the concentration range 50-400, 20-120 and 150-24000 ng/mL, respectively. The results provided a firm basis for further evaluating the pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of NANI.