NSC 615985 (UC 84) has demonstrated anti-HIV activity in the NCI-AIDS antiviral screen and was under consideration as an anti-AIDS drug. The compound was subsequently shown to be a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI). An HPLC method was developed for the analysis of NSC 615985 in mouse, dog and human plasma; and was used to study its stability in plasma and blood as well as its absorption and metabolism in mice. The method involved precipitation of plasma protein with three volumes of methanol followed by HPLC analysis of the supernatant. The HPLC analysis was carried out on a reversed-phase Nova-Pak C18 column with a mobile phase of KH2PO4 (0.01 M; pH 4.8)-acetonitrile (52:48, v/v) at a flow rate of 1 ml min-1 and quantification with a UV detector set at 259 nm. The lower limit of quantitation was 0.05 microgram ml-1 in 1 ml of dog or human plasma or 0.1 microgram ml-1 in 0.5 ml of mouse plasma. NSC 615985 was more stable in dog and human plasma than in mouse plasma, and was less stable in blood than in plasma of the three species investigated. Following bolus intravenous (i.v.) administration at 10 mg kg-1 to male CDF1 mice, NSC 615985 elimination followed biexponential kinetics with half-lives of 1 and 7 min, and was extensively metabolized. NSC 615985 was very poorly absorbed following oral (PO) administration as a suspension in water or in 20% lipid emulsion (Liposyn II). Following bolus subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of [14C]NSC 615985 at 10 mg kg-1, relatively low concentrations of the parent compound were observed in three of 36 mice. One metabolite was tentatively identified in plasma of both the i.v.- and s.c.-treated animals as the sulfoxide of the parent compound. No parent compound was detected in the urine of NSC 615985 dosed mice. At least seven metabolites were present in urine; one metabolite (constituting 8-14% of urinary radioactivity) was tentatively identified as the carboxylic acid resulting from the hydrolysis of the isopropyl group from the parent compound. In summary, NSC 615985 was poorly absorbed following oral administration and extensively metabolized and eliminated following i.v. or s.c. administration. This unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile of NSC 615985 as well as its pattern of activity against NNRTI-resistant strains of HIV-1 precluded its progression to clinical trial; however, other members of the general chemical class are currently being evaluated by the NCI.