Norepinephrine metabolism in man using deuterium labeling: turnover 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid.

4-Hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid (HMMA; VMA) labeled with three deuterium atoms was used to study the turnover and fate of HMMA following intravenous injection. Five healthy men were given a pulse dose of 5.0 mumol of labeled HMMA. Plasma and urinary levels of both endogenous and labeled HMMA were subsequently followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using selected ion detection. The kinetic parameters were determined both with and without compensation for the pool expansion caused by the injection of labeled HMMA. The urinary recovery of labeled HMMA was 85 +/- 10% (mean +/- SD). No conversion of HMMA to 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl glycol (HMPG) occurred. The biological half-life of HMMA was 0.54 +/- 0.22 h. The apparent volume of distribution was 0.36 +/- 0.11 L/kg. The production rate or body turnover was 1.27 +/- 0.51 mumol HMMA/h and urinary excretion rate was 0.82 +/- 0.22 mumol/h. These results show that HMMA is turnover over rapidly in a relatively small volume of distribution and that, unlike HMPG, it is an end metabolite of norepinephrine in man.