Characterization of metabolites of Celecoxib in rabbits by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

The metabolism of the anti-inflammatory drug Celecoxib in rabbits was characterized using liquid chromatography (LC)/tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) with precursor ion and constant neutral loss scans followed by product ion scans. After separation by on-line liquid chromatography, the crude urine samples and plasma and fecal extracts were analyzed with turbo-ionspray ionization in negative ion mode using a precursor ion scan of m/z 69 (CF(3)) and a neutral loss scan of 176 (dehydroglucuronic acid). The subsequent product ion scans of the [M - H] ions of these metabolites yielded the identification of three phase I and four phase II metabolites. The phase I metabolites had hydroxylations at the methyl group or on the phenyl ring of Celecoxib, and the subsequent oxidation product of the hydroxymethyl metabolite formed the carboxylic acid metabolite. The phase II metabolites included four positional isomers of acyl glucuronide conjugates of the carboxylic acid metabolite. These positional isomers were caused by the alkaline pH of the rabbit urine and were not found in rabbit plasma. The chemical structures of the metabolites were characterized by interpretation of their product ion spectra and comparison of their LC retention times and the product ion spectra with those of the authentic synthesized standards.     

Collision-induced dissociation of valdecoxib metabolites: a novel rearrangement involving an isoxazole ring

Valdecoxib is a potent COX-2 inhibitor. During metabolism studies of valdecoxib by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, we observed a novel mass spectral rearrangement involving an isoxazole ring for some of the metabolites in the negative ion mode. Accurate mass measurements were performed with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry to determine the elemental compositions of the fragments. Additionally, two types of stable-isotope labeled analogues were prepared to assist with the assignments of these fragments and possible mechanistic rearrangements resulting from collision-induced dissociation (CID). Detailed analyses of the CID mass spectra suggest that the fragmentation process involves a novel two-step rearrangement. The first step consists of an intramolecular SN2 reaction with a five-membered ring rearrangement to form an intermediate. The second step involves a four-membered ring intramolecular rearrangement followed by a cleavage of the N-O bond on the isoxazole ring to form a unique fragment ion at m/z 196. The same phenomenon was observed for a group of structurally related metabolites that also contain a 5-hydroxymethyl or 5-carboxylic acid moieties. A mechanism for the novel rearrangement involving an isoxazole ring is proposed.     

Preparation of 2-alkenylperhydro-1,3-benzoxazines and application for 2-isoxazolines synthesis

Various 2-substituted-N-benzyl-4,4,7-trimethyl-trans-octahydro-1,3-benzoxazines 2 were prepared from the condensation of (?)-8-benzylaminomenthol 1 derived from (+)-pulegone, with acrolein, crotonaldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, 2(E)-N,N-diisopropyl-4-oxobut-2-enamide, ethyl (2E)-4-oxobut-2-enoate, and 2-furaldehyde in 71–96% yield. The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with aceto- and benzonitrile oxide gave the corresponding 2-isoxazoline cycloadducts. The origin of the stereoselectivity (4′S, 5′S-cycloadducts up to 64% de) arises from the cycloaddition of the dipole to the top of the Re,Re-alkene face of dipolarophile 2.     

Synthesis,stereochemistry and adsorption studies of new spiranes and polyspiranes containing 1,2‐dithiolane units

The synthesis and stereochemistry of a series of new cyclic disulfides containing (poly)spirane 1,2‐dithiolane units are reported. Also included is a study of the self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) of these compounds on a gold surface. The characteristics of the resultant SAMs were determined by IR spectroscopy using molecular mechanics calculations.