Aim: To identify in vitro and/or in vivo the metabolites of test compound, and to compare across species the in vitro-in vivo correlation and metabolic profiles.

Background information: Metabolite profiling of compounds at early stages in the Drug Discovery process is relevant to detect metabolites which are unique to humans compared with animal species, or metabolites present at disproportionately higher levels in humans than in animal species. In these cases, it may be necessary to assess the preclinical safety of the metabolite detected.

On the other hand, the identification of the metabolic liability of the test compound is important in directing chemistry. If a compound is cleared very rapidly, then identifying which functional groups are undergoing metabolism will be valuable in understanding how the chemical structure may be modifed to reduce compound biotransformation.