The interrelationship between the metabolism of (S)-continine-N-oxide and (S)-cotinine.

The metabolism of (S)-cotinine-N-oxide was studied in the rabbit and the dog. The pattern of Koenig-positive substances in the urine of the animals suggested the presence of cotinine, demethylcotinine, hydroxycotinine, and allohydroxycotinine, compounds already previously identified as metabolites of (S)-cotinine and (S)-nicotine in many mammalian species. In the dog, 34% of the administered oral dose of (S)-cotinine-N-oxide was recovered from the urine, and 21% was recovered from the urine of the rabbit. Confirmation of the presence of (S)-cotinine, (S)-demethulcotinine, hydroxycotinine, and allohydroxycotinine in the urine of the rabbits was obtained by isolation of the metabolites as themselves of as derivatives. The data, although establishing the possibilities of an intermediary role for (S)-cotinine-N-oxide in the metabolism of nicotine, do not clearly indicate whether the metabolites such as demethylcotinine arise via the route (S)-cotinine-N-oxide leads to (S)-cotinine leads to (S)-demethylcotinine or via the alternate route (S)-cotinine-N-oxide leads to (S)-demethylcotinine-N-oxide leads to (S)-demethylcotinine.