Metabolism of oxybutynin: Establishment of desethyloxybutynin and oxybutyninN-oxide formation in rat liver preparations using deuterium substitution and gas chromatographic mass spectrometric analysis

Oxybutynin is rapidly metabolized in rat liver microsomes. Two major primary oxidation products were identified as N-desethyl oxybutynin and oxybutynin N-oxide. Deuterium substituted substrate was used to aid the identification. N-Desethyl oxybutynin was characterized by gas chromatography electron impact mass spectrometry as its trifluoroacetamide derivative and oxybutynin N-oxide was indicated by the presence of a decomposition product, 2-oxo-3-butenyl-2 cyclohexyl-2-phenylglycolate, as elucidated from the gas chromatographic mas spectrometric analysis. The formation of this product from synthetic oxybutynin N-oxide was verified and occurs by two consecutive rearrangements upon thermolysis of the unstable N-oxide. Attempted titanous chloride reduction of oxybutynin N-oxide resulted in the formation of the hydrolytic products 2-cyclohexyl-2-phenylglycolic acid and 4-diethylamino-2-butynol.