Abstract

After the ingestion of (-)-cotinine, the male human excreted (-)-cotinine, hydroxycotinine, and γ-(3-pyridyl)-β-oxo-N-methylbutyramide. The two metabolites were isolated from urine and identified by comparison with authentic compounds previously isolated from dog urine. The data indicate areas of similarity between the dog and the human in the metabolism of (-)-cotinine. In contrast, however, no desmethyl-cotinine was found in the urine of two human subjects after oral administration of (-)-cotinine. Hydroxycotinine has been obtained for the first time in crystalline form.