Disease relevance of NSC4687

• Alterations in the nature or ratio of methacetin metabolites due to liver diseases could not be found [1].
• The serum concentrations of total bile acids, the activities of transaminases in serum and the cumulative 15N excretion in urine after administration of 3 mg of 15N-labeled methacetin/kg of body weight were used as markers of hepatotoxic side effects [2].
• We carried out a 13C-methacetin breath test (MBT), administering the stable-isotope-labeled compound to 11 children with higher serum GOT values and 5 within the normal range to investigate hepatic metabolism of methacetin in infants with atopic dermatitis [3].

High impact information on NSC4687

• The diagnostic power of phenylalanine breath test was always less than that of methacetin breath test [4].
• Methacetin is a test drug assessing a two-step pathway of biotransformation including monooxygenation and conjugation [5].
• Demethylation of methoxyphenylacetamide (methacetin) was followed using a breath test, in which the exhalation of 13C-enriched CO2 was measured following an oral dose of 13C-methacetin [6].
• 13CO2 enrichment was measured using mass spectrometry RESULTS: Both tests discriminated the hepatic function, decreasing results of the 13CO2 enrichment agreeing with the increasing severity of the hepatic patient (13C-Phenylalanine Breath Test multiple correlation coefficient: 0.72, global p<0.001; Methacetin Breath Test: 0.73, p<0.001) [7].

Associations of NSC4687 with other chemical compounds

• In rats the capacity for dealkylation of methacetin and phenacetin developed much faster compared with caffeine: 9 days postnatally, the exhalation of 14CO2 reached adult values [8].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of NSC4687

• After oral administration of labelled methacetin to healthy subjects and patients with liver diseases a good correspondence between 13C- and 14C-measurements in the same subject on the one hand, and a good discrimination between controls and patients on the other hand were shown [9].
• Methacetin breath test was correlated with liver function tests and serum bile acids [4].

References