The fate of a thiazolidinedione antidiabetic agent in rat and dog.

1. The fate of [14C]BRL 49653C, a novel thiazolidinedione antidiabetic agent, has been studied following oral administration to the rat and dog. 2. Clearance was almost exclusively by metabolism, with only small amounts of unchanged BRL 49653 being excreted by either species. 3. Phase I metabolism resulted in ring hydroxylation, N-demethylation and oxidative removal of the pyridinylamino function to yield a phenoxyacetic acid derivative. 4. Sulphation of phase I metabolites occurred in both species, but glucuronidation was only observed in the rat. 5. The parent compound was the major circulating component in both species at early times, but at later times sulphate conjugates of phase 1 metabolites were predominant.