Characterization of Steroidal Drug Metabolites by Combined Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Structural features which distinguish steroidal drugs from natural hormones often persist in their metabolites. At the same time, the metabolic transformations of the drugs parallel, in certain respects, those of endogenous steroids. These factors provide scope for techniques based on combined GC-MS in investigations of steroidal drug metabolites. On this basis, a preliminary study has been made of neutral urinary metabolites of the anabolic steroid, 17α-ethyl-17β-hydroxyestr-4-en-3-one (Nilevar). Constituents present in vary small amounts in crude, unfractionated extracts of enzyme-hydrolyzed urine have been located and partially characterized. The complexity of these extracts is such that the complementary use of other separation techniques would be advantageous.