Chemical reactivity of ethyl (6R)-6-[N-(2-chloro-4-fluorophenyl)sulfamoyl]cyclohex-1-ene-1-carboxylate (TAK-242) in vitro

Ethyl (6R)‐6‐[N‐(2‐chloro‐4‐fluorophenyl)sulfamoyl]cyclohex‐1‐ene‐1‐carboxylate (TAK‐242) was metabolized to cyclohexene and phenyl ring moieties in non‐clinical pharmacokinetic studies and it was suggested that the cyclohexene ring moiety of TAK‐242 is tightly bound to endogenous macromolecules. After incubation of TAK‐242 and glutathione (GSH) in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) at 37 °C, TAK‐242 reacted with GSH to produce a glutathione conjugate of the cyclohexene ring moiety of TAK‐242, which had been observed as a metabolite (M‐SG) in non‐clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Formation of M‐SG was time dependent with a first order reaction and M‐I, a metabolite from the phenyl ring moiety of TAK‐242, was also produced in parallel. The formation of M‐SG was accelerated with increasing pH, therefore it was indicated that TAK‐242 reacted with GSH by a nucleophilic substitution reaction. Because glutathione transferase (GST) enhanced M‐SG formation in vitro, it is expected that the conjugation of TAK‐242 with GSH is also facilitated by GST in vivo in addition to a spontaneous chemical reaction. When radio‐labeled TAK‐242 ([cyclohexene ring‐U‐¹⁴ C]TAK‐242) was incubated with rat serum albumin (RSA) or human serum albumin (HSA) in vitro, the radioactive material was covalently bound to RSA and HSA, and M‐I was generated simultaneously in the reaction mixture. The chemical structure of the TAK‐242 adduct covalently bound to HSA was characterized by the accurate mass spectra that cyclohexene ring moiety of TAK‐242 was covalently bound to the lysine residue in HSA. The adduct was also detected in the plasma of rats and humans after single i.v. dosing of TAK‐242 (in vivo). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.