Codeine, demethylation

Keywords Alkaloids Analgesia Codeine Demethylation Morphine Total synthesis... 

Nonresponse to codeine (PMs of CYP2D6 fail to O-demethylate to morphine)... 

Biotransformations of morphinan alkaloids have been reported for plant, fungal, and mammalian enzymatic systems with emphasis on rather specific reactions such as the reduction of ketones, N- and O-demethylation, and perox-idative transformations. Furuya et al. used immobilized tissue culture cells of Papaver somniferum to accomplish the selective reduction of codeinone (135) to codeine (136) (207) (Scheme 30). Suspension cultures of a well-established cell line of P. somniferum were grown for one week as a source of cell mass for immobilization in calcium alginate. The cells continued to live in the alginate matrix for 6 months maintaining their biological activity. The reduction of co-... 

Pai HV, Kommaddi RP, Chinta SJ, Mori T, Boyd MR, et al. 2004. A frame-shift mutation and alternate splicing in human brain generates a functional form of the pseudogene, cytochrome P4502D7 that demethylates codeine to morphine. J Biol Chem 279 27383-27389. 

The most important other opium alkaloid is codeine. In contrast to morphine, codeine has a high oral-parenteral potency ratio due to less first-pass metabolism. Codeine is considered a prodrug, since it is metabolised in vivo to the primary active compounds morphine and codeine-6-glucuronide. Approximately 10% is demethylated to morphine. The analgesic effect of codeine is due to the formation of these metabolites as codeine itself has a very low affinity for opioid receptors. The half-life of codeine in plasma is 2 hours. 

The metabolic conversion of codeine occurs by demethylation, a process aptly described by the name the methyl group (CHj) on the codeine molecule (shown in Figure 3.1) is simply... 

It is dextro isomer of propoxyphene which is an analgesic and possesses antitussive property. It has low analgesic activity even half of codeine. It is metabolized in Uver. Side effects include vomiting, epigastric distress and sedation. The demethylated metabolite of propoxyphene is cardiotoxic. It is used in the treatment of mild type of pain. 

The pharmacological action of codeine is increased by induction as this increases demethylation to morphine. Induction by phenobarbital decreases the toxicity of organo-phosphates, but increases that of phosphorothionates. Studies with the drug warfarin have shown that induction by both phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene will change the stereochemistry of the product, as can be seen in Table 5.24. Thus, hydroxylation in the 8-position in the R-isomer is increased 12 times compared with only 4 times with the S-isomer following 3-methylcholanthrene induction. 

Opioid receptor binding Codeine has a low affinity at j-, 5-, and K-opioid receptors and the in vivo effects are predominantly induced by morphine, formed by metabolic O-demethylation. 

Pharmacokinetic properties Codeine (Sindrup and Brosen, 1995) has a good oral bioavailability. The compound is extensively metabolized by O- and N-demethylation followed by glucuronidation. The main metabolites are norcodeine, morphine and hydrocodeine and their glucuronides. There are indications (Yue et al., 1997), that the analgesic effect is reduced in persons with low CYP2D6 activity (poor metabolizers). 

Pharmacokinetic properties Like codeine, dihydrocodeine is metabolized by CYP2D6 yielding the active metabolite dihydromorphine (Ammon et al., 1999). N-Demethylation... 

Yue, Q.Y., Aim, C., Svensson, J.O., Sawe, J. Quantification of the O- and N-demethylated and the glucuronidated metabolites of codeine relative to the debrisoquine metabolic ratio in urine in ultrarapid, rapid, and poor debrisoquine hydroxylators, Ther. Drug Monit. 1997, 19, 539-542. 

Hydrocodone is a semisynthetic opioid derived from codeine.18It is utilized as an analgesic and antitussive available for oral administration, often in combination with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. As a rule, potent analgesics containing a methoxyl group at position 3 (e.g., hydrocodone, K, = 19.8 nM) bind the mu receptor relatively weakly, but their O-demethylated metabolites (such as hydromorphone, Kt = 0.6 nM) bind more strangely. As with oxycodone, the possibility exists that some of their ability to relieve pain may actually derive from their active metabolites 48... 

A new method for the demethylation of codeine to morphine, previously a capricious reaction, has been reported, the product being obtained in good yield. Demethylation by boron tribromide in chloroform gives 90—91%150 and by potassium t-butoxide in propanethiol gives 80% morphine.151 A patent describes an improved method for the preparation of codeinone from thebaine, by adding the alkaloid to anhydrous hydrogen bromide in solution in methylene chloride and dibutyl ether at -20 °C, in the presence of small quantities of iodine, followed by hydrolysis with aqueous sodium bicarbonate. The claimed yields of codeinone are 95% crude and 90% after purification.152 Codeinohe is an intermediate in the conversion of thebaine into codeine. An overall yield of 85% of codeine from thebaine, without purification of any of the intermediates, has been claimed for an... 

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