Metabolism in vivo of furazolidone: Evidence for formation of an open-chain carboxylic acid and α-ketoglutaric acid from the nitrofuran in rats

The in vivo metabolism of an antibacterial nitrofuran, furazolidone [ N-(5-nitro-2-furfurylidene)-3-amino-2-oxazolidone] was investigated. When the nitrofuran was administered orally to rats, two new-type nitrofuran metabolites, N-(4-carboxy-2-oxobutylideneamino)-2-oxazolidone and α-ketoglutaric acid, were isolated from the urine, together with 3-(4-cyano-2-oxobutylideneamino)-2-oxazolidone and N-(5-acetamido-2-furfurylidene)-3-amino-2-oxazolidone. In addition, the present study showed that the corresponding aminofuran was an intermediate in the conversion of furazolidone to these metabolites.