Identification of Mitapivat's In Vivo Metabolites in the Rat Model by Quadrupole-Time-of-Flight (Q-TOF) Mass Spectrometry

Mitapivat is a novel, first-in-class, allosteric activator of Pyruvate Kinase enzyme. It has been approved by the US FDA in February 2022 for disease modifying treatment of haemolytic anaemia in adults. In the current study, the in vivo metabolites of mitapivat in the rat model were identified using quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A total 20 metabolites were identified, out of which nine metabolites were found to be novel and reported first time in the literature. The study also further refined the chemical structures of some of the reported metabolites. Oxidation, N-dealkylation, oxidation followed by dehydrogenation, and hydrolysis were the major Phase I metabolic pathways of mitapivat. The chief Phase II metabolism pathway was glucuronide conjugation of oxidised and amide hydrolysed metabolites of mitapivat.