Metabolism of 8-(methylthio)cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate by rats and dogs after oral or intravenous dosing and in vitro by subcellular preparations of dog liver.

8-(Methylthio-14C or -35S)cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate (I) was given intravenously to rats (5 mg/kg) and orally and intravenously to dogs (0.25, 2.5, or 50 mg/kg). Oral doses were absorbed well but slowly. Plasma half-lives in dogs were about 3 hr after oral or intravenous doses of 0.25 or 2.5 mg/kg and ranged from 5 to 12 hr after oral or intravenous doseas of 50 mg/kg. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in dogs were increased by oral or intravenous doses of the compound. Regardless of the route, excretion of radioactivity by rats and dogs at all doses was chiefly in the urine (74-87% of the dose); the remainder was excreted in the feces or bile. Compound I was rapidly distributed to most tissues of dogs but entered the brain and certain portions of the eye slowly and to a limited extent. Urine and plasma of dogs and urine of rats contained I, 8-(methylthio)adenosine, and at least two other unidentified metabolites. Compound I and cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate were metabolized in vitro by the soluble fraction of dog liver to form 8-(methylthio)adenosine-5'-monophosphate and adenosine-5'-monophosphate, respectively. These compounds were further converted to 8-(methylthio)adenosine and adenosine, respectively. Compound I was metabolized in vitro more slowly than cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate.