Metabolic fate of [14C]SM-1652, a new antipseudomonal cephalosporin, after parenteral administration to rats.

A study of the metabolic fate of [14C]SM-1652 after intravenous or intramuscular injection into rats showed that: (i) the elimination of the labeled compound from the blood was the same after intravenous and intramuscular injections; (ii) the radiolabeled drug was distributed rapidly and widely after intravenous administration with the highest concentration in the kidney and the lowest in the brain; (iii) placental transmission was slight, as it was passed into the milk, where the concentration was about 14% that of plasma; (iv) 33 and 67% of the administered radioactivity was excreted in urine and feces, respectively; (v) radioactivity in both urine and bile was ascribable to unaltered SM-1652; and (vi) upon repeated intramuscular injections twice daily, levels of labeled SM-1652 in tissue increased gradually, reaching a plateau at the 11th injection.