Structure Identification: |
Drug Metab Dispos. 2011 Mar;39(3):472-83. | Identification of 20(S)-protopanaxadiol metabolites in human liver microsomes and human hepatocytes.[Pubmed: 21139039] | 20(S)-Protopanaxadiol (PPD, 1) is one of the aglycones of the ginsenosides and has a wide range of pharmacological activities. At present, PPD has progressed to early clinical trials as an antidepressant. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, its fate in mixed human liver microsomes (HLMs) and human hepatocytes was examined for the first time. By using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry, 24 metabolites were found. Four metabolites were isolated, and their structures were elucidated as (20S,24S)-epoxydammarane-3,12,25-triol (2), (20S,24R)-epoxydammarane-3,12,25-triol (3), (20S,24S)-epoxydammarane-12,25-diol-3-one (4), and (20S,24R)-epoxydammarane-12,25-diol-3-one (5) based on a detailed analysis of their spectroscopic data. The predominant metabolic pathway of PPD observed was the oxidation of the 24,25-double bond to yield 24,25-epoxides, followed by hydrolysis and rearrangement to form the corresponding 24,25-vicinal diol derivatives (M6) and the 20,24-oxide form (2 and 3). Further sequential metabolites (M2-M5) were also detected through the hydroxylation and dehydrogenation of 2 and 3. All of the phase I metabolites except for M1-1 possess a hydroxyl group at C-25 of the side chain, which was newly formed by biotransformation. Two glucuronide conjugates (M7) attributed to 2 and 3 were detected in human hepatocyte incubations, and their conjugation sites were tentatively assigned to the 25-hydroxyl group.
CONCLUSIONS:
The findings of this study strongly suggested that the formation of the 25-hydroxyl group is very important for the elimination of PPD. |
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