CP-533,536, (3-{[(4-tert-butyl-benzyl)-(pyridine-3-sulfonyl)-amino]-methyl}-phenoxy)-acetic acid (1), an EP2 receptor-selective prostaglandin E2 agonist, is being developed to aid in the healing of bone fractures. To support the development of this program, in vitro metabolism of 1 was investigated in human liver microsomes and major recombinant human cytochrome P450 (P450) isoforms. 1 was metabolized in vitro by at least three recombinant human P450s: CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP2C8. The turnover of 1 was NADPH-dependent and was completely inhibited by ketoconazole and quercetin in the CYP3A4/5 and CYP2C8 incubations, respectively. The major metabolic pathways were caused by oxidation of the tert-butyl moiety to form the -hydroxy metabolite (M4), oxidation of the pyridine moiety, and/or N-dealkylation of the methylphenoxy acetic acid moiety. The alcohol metabolite M4 was further oxidized to the corresponding carboxylic acid M3. In addition to these pathways, three unusual metabolites (M22, M23, and M26) resulting from C-demethylation of the tert-butyl group were identified using high-resolution liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/ NMR. The C-demethylated metabolites were not detected on incubation of carboxylic acid metabolite M3 with either human liver microsomes or CYP3A/2C8 isoforms, suggesting that these metabolites were not derived from decarboxylation of M3. A possible mechanism for C-demethylation may involve the oxidation of M4 to form an aldehyde metabolite (M24), followed by P450-mediated deformylation, to give an unstable carbon-centered radical and formic acid. The carbon-centered radical intermediate then undergoes either oxygen rebound to form an alcohol metabolite M23 or hydrogen abstraction leading to an olefin metabolite M26.It has been well documented that EP2-selective prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) agonists, when delivered locally to the periosteal surface or the marrow cavity of bones, increase cortical and cancellous bone formation without the systemic side effects observed with PGE2 (Breyer et al., 2001). Compound 1 (Fig. 1) is a nonprostanoid agonist of the prostaglandin EP2 receptor subtype of PGE2 with significant local bone anabolic activity. It binds to the EP2 receptor with high affinity and selectivity and initiates cAMP signaling via an EP2 receptor-mediated signaling pathway. In in vivo studies, 1 enhanced bone fracture healing in rat and dog fracture models. Furthermore, 1 induced new bone formation and healed critical-sized segmental defects of long bones in the dog (Paralkar et al., 2003). Therefore, it offers a promising therapeutic alternative for the enhancement of bone healing and treatment of bone defects and fractures in humans.Elucidation of biotransformation pathways of a drug candidate in animals and humans, and evaluation of pharmacological and toxicological consequences of its metabolites are very critical to pharmaceutical development and compound progression (Kostiainen et al.,