Stereoselectivity of the 4-hydroxylation of debrisoquine in man, detected by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

A stable isotope assay for the quantification of debrisoquine (1) and its major urinary metabolite 4-hydroxydebrisoquine (2) is described. The method consists of extractive derivatization of 1 and 2 by use of 1,3-diketones, chiral derivatization of the 4-hydroxy group of 2, and gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry in the presence of deuterated analogues of 1 and 2. In comparison with synthetic R-(-)-2 and S-(+)-2 it is shown that in vivo benzylic 4-hydroxylation of 1 is highly stereoselective, leading predominantly to S-(+)-4-hydroxydebrisoquine (enantiomeric excess greater than or equal to 90%).