Metabolism of ethyl 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-(2-furyl)-oxazole-4-acetate, a new hypolipidemic agent, in the rat, rabbit, and dog. Glucuronidation of carboxyl group and cleavage of furan ring.

Metabolism of ethyl 2-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-(2-furyl)-oxazole-4-acetate (TA-1801), a new hypolipidemic agent, was studied in the rat, rabbit, and dog. Animals were given a single oral dose of 50 mg/kg TA-1801 labeled with 14C. The first metabolic reaction for TA-1801 was hydrolysis of the ester linkage. The resulting metabolite M1 was found to undergo further biotransformations, i.e. glucuronidation at the carboxyl group and ring cleavage of the furan group. These metabolic pathways were observed in all the species examined, although species differences were seen in the amount of metabolites.