Jci_page_head_homepage_01 Jci_page_head_homepage_02
Article tools
  • View PDF
  • Cite this article
  • E-mail this article
  • Share this article
  • Send a letter
  • Information on reuse
  • Standard abbreviations
Author information
Need help?

Articles

Warfarin metabolism in man: identification of metabolites in urine

Richard J. Lewis and William F. Trager

Research Service, Veterans Administration Hospital, San Francisco, California 94121Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, University of California, San Francisco, California 94122

Published May 1970

After administration of the coumarin anticoagulant racemic warfarin to normal humans, seven fluorescent compounds were chromatographically separated from extracts of their urine. Four of these were identified using mass spectrometry, thin-layer chromatography, and ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy. One metabolic pathway, reduction of the acetonyl side chain of warfarin, resulted in the formation of a second asymmetric carbon atom, and two diastereoisomer alcohols were identified. These warfarin alcohols are structurally similar to pharmacologically active coumarin derivatives. They have not been reported in animal studies. In addition, 6- and 7-hydroxywarfarin were identified. These are the first studies to document the metabolic fate of warfarin in the normal human.

Browse pages

Click on an image below to see the page. View PDF of the complete article