Synthesis and acid- and base-catalyzed reactions of hexobarbital 1′,2′-epoxide and heptabarbital 1′,2′-epoxide

Disposition of hexobarbitone in healthy man: kinetics of parent drug and metabolites following oral administration

1 Hexobarbitone plasma kinetics were determined in six healthy volunteers, who received 500 mg hexobarbitone orally. In addition urinary excretion rate and cumulative excretion were measured of its three major metabolites: 3'-hydroxyhexobarbitone, 3'-ketohexobarbitone and 1,5-dimethylbarbituric acid. 2 The mean plasma elimination half-life of hexobarbitone was 3.7 +/- 0.9 h (n = 6). Assuming complete absorption, the volume of distribution and the metabolic clearance were 81.3 +/- 20.5 1 and 16.4 +/- 2.9 1/h, respectively. The mean maximal plasma concentration was 7.1 +/- 2.1 micrograms/ml and was reached 1.2 +/- 0.4 h after drug administration. 3 3'-Hydroxyhexobarbitone and 3'-ketohexobarbitone, which are products of allylic side-chain oxidation of hexobarbitone, were excreted in 24 h to the extent of 4.7 +/- 1.3 and 32.1 +/- 11.9% of the dose, respectively. In the same period, 1,5-dimethylbarbituric acid, which is the end product of the epoxide-diol pathway, was excreted to 18.0 +/- 7.8% of the dose. The ratio of the sum of 3'-hydroxy- and 3'-ketohexobarbitone vs 1,5-dimethylbarbituric acid excreted varied with time and amounted ultimately in 24 h urine to 2.3 +/- 1.0. 4 The half-lives of 3'-hydroxyhexobarbitone and 1,5-dimethylbarbituric acid, calculated from their renal excretion rate curves, amounted 5.2 +/- 0.9 and 6.6 +/- 1.3 h and were significantly longer than the half-life of hexobarbitone in plasma. The half-life of 3'-ketohexobarbitone was 4.2 +/- 0.8 h. The maximum excretion rate of 1,5-dimethylbarbituric acid was reached at 7.7 +/- 1.0 h after administration of hexobarbitone. 3'-Hydroxy- and 3'-ketohexobarbitone were excreted with a maximal rate at 2.2 +/- 0.8 and 2.8 +/- 0.4 h respectively.

The epoxide-diol pathway in the metabolism of vinylbital in rat and man

1. In urine of rats given vinylbital (5-vinyl-5-(1'-methylbutyl)barbituric acid) i.p., unchanged vinylbital and its devinylated metabolite, 5-(1'-methylbutyl)barbituric acid, were identified. Rats synthetic 1',2'-epoxyvinylbital excreted the same compound as a major metabolite. No unchanged epoxide, nor 1',2'-dihydroxyvinylbital, could be identified in the urine of rats treated with vinylbital or its epoxide. 2. Attempts to synthesize 1',2'-dihydroxyvinylbital from 1',2'-epoxyvinylbital by acidic hydrolysis revealed that this possible metabolite decomposes readily to 5-(1'-methylbutyl)barbituric acid by a 'retro-aldol type' reaction. 3. In rat liver microsomal preparation 1',2'-epoxyvinylbital is readily hydrated by epoxide hydratase, but this reaction is almost completely inhibited by 0.8 mM 1,1,1-trichloropropene-2,3-oxide (TCPO). This finding and the identification of 5-(1'-methylbutyl)barbituric acid as end-product of this enzyme reaction provides further evidence for the existence of an epoxide-diol pathway in the metabolism of vinylbital. 4. Vinylbital and its devinylated metabolite are excreted in 36 h urine of rats treated with vinylbital, to an extent of 0.6 +/- 1.7% of the dose (n = 5), respectively. Upon administration of 1',2-epoxyvinylbital, 59.8 +/- 14.2% of the dose (n = 5) was excreted as 5-(1'-methylbutyl)barbituric acid. 5. In 60 h urine of three human volunteers who had taken 150 mg of vinylbital orally, 2.6 +/- 1.7% of the dose was excreted as vinylbitaland 11.0 +/- 4.1% as 5-(1'-methylbutyl) barbituric acid, illustrating that also in humans the epoxide-diol pathway plays a role in the metabolism of vinylbital.