Utility of the parent-neutral loss scan screening technique: partial characterization of urinary metabolites of U-78875 in monkey urine.

Metabolites of an antianxiety-sedative drug candidate (U-78875; 3-(5-cyclopropyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-5-(1-methylethyl)-imidazo[1 ,5-alpha] quinoxalin-4(5H)-one (I)) present in the urine of monkeys were detected using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) by application of parent ion scans and characterized or partially characterized by performing daughter ion scans of the pseudo-molecular ions of suspected metabolites. The use of liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry ionization of crude urinary extracts in combination with tandem quadrupole MS/MS analyses using parent ion scans of m/z 69 and subsequent daughter ion scans characterized unmetabolized I and N-dealkyl I (U-85466) and partially characterized aryl hydroxyl, aryl hydroxyl-N-dealkyl, aryl O-glucuronide, aryl O-glucuronide-N-dealkyl, aryl O-sulfate and aryl O-sulfate-N-dealkyl metabolites. From these data it was concluded that some of the metabolic pathways involved in the biotransformation of U-78875 include N-dealkylation, aryl hydroxylation and conjugation of aryl hydroxides. Several other metabolites of U-78875 not detected using this analytical approach were subsequently identified by alternative mass spectrometric approaches. These data clearly demonstrated both the utility and, just as important, the limitations of the parent-neutral loss scan screening technique in detecting drug metabolites in complex biological milieux.