Note on Oxycodone N-Oxygenation and Oxycodone N-Oxide Retro- Reduction.

Author(s): John R. Cashman*

Oxycodone, oxymorphone and naltrexone are opioids that are
N-oxygenated by the Flavin-Containing Monooxygenase (FMO). These
drugs are potent Central Nervous System (CNS) agents that previously
were thought to be largely metabolized by Cytochrome P450 (CYP) and
then in a second step, conjugated in Phase II metabolism [1-4]. A few
reports suggested the presence of oxycodone N-oxide as a metabolite
but no unambiguous evidence was reported [4-6].

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