Urinary excretion was studied after the administration of anisotropine methylbromide p.0. and i.v. and propantheline bromide P.O. to a grou of volunteers. Orally administered material was excreted in the urine for perio& of 2-5 days while i.v. administered material was excreted for 16 days. In all cases, periodic excretion peaks were observed. The urinary excretion of anisotropine methylbromide and propantheline bromide seems similar.
PRELIMINARY STUDY of the excretion of a A tablet formulation of the quaternary ammonium antispasmodic anisotropine methylbromide' (8-methyltropinium bromide 2-propylpentanoate), in six subjects was the subject of a previous publication (1). The observation of prolonged excretion with discrete periods of peak excretion of the compound has been confirmed
and extended with a larger group of subjects.
Several oral formulations and a n intravenous administration are included. Similar results have been obtained for propantheline bromide2 (/3 diisopropylaminoethyl 9-xanthene carboxylate methobromide) tablets, indicating t h a t the observed pattern of excretion might be a general property of quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC's).
EXPERIMENTAL
Reagents-Anisotropine methylbromide originated and was compounded at Endo Laboratories, Inc. Propantheline bromide was obtained as a conimercially available 15-mg. tablet and 30-mg. ampul. Tropaeolin 00 (orange I') was purchased from Matheson, Coleman and Bell. The grades and sources of supply of all other reagents were indicated previously ( 1).
Analytical Procedures-All spectrophotometric analyses were performed with a Hitachi Perkin-Elmer 139 spectrophotometer.
The analytical methods employed for both anisotropine methylbromide and proparitheline bromide are similar in that they depend upon the formation of a salt between the cationic agent and an anionic dye. The dye salt is extracted from an aqueous medium into an immiscible nonpolar solvent. The