Nefazodone, meta-chlorophenylpiperazine, and their metabolites in vitro: cytochromes mediating transformation, and P450-3A4 inhibitory actions

Rationale: Understanding of the mechanisms of biotransformation of antidepressant drugs, and of their capacity to interact with other medications, is of direct relevance to rational clinical psychopharmacology. Objectives: To determine the human cytochromes P450 mediating the metabolism of nefazodone, and the inhibitory activity of nefazodone and metabolites versus human P450–3A. Methods: Biotransformation of nefazodone to its metabolic products, and of meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) to para-hydroxy-mCPP, was studied in vitro using human liver microsomes and heterologously expressed human cytochromes. Nefazodone and metabolites were also tested as inhibitors of alprazolam hydroxylation, reflecting activity of cytochrome P450–3A isoforms. Results: mCPP and two hydroxylated derivatives were the principal metabolites formed from nefazodone by liver microsomes. Metabolite production was strongly inhibited by ketoconazole or troleandomycin (relatively specific P450–3A inhibitors), and by an anti-P450-3A antibody. Only heterologously expressed human P450-3A4 mediated formation of nefazodone metabolites from the parent compound. Nefazodone, hydroxy-nefazodone, and para-hydroxy-nefazodone were strong 3A inhibitors, being more potent than norfluoxetine and fluvoxamine, but less potent than ketoconazole. The triazoledione metabolite and mCPP had weak or negligible 3A-inhibiting activity. Formation of para-hydroxy-mCPP from mCPP was mediated by heterologously expressed P450-2D6; in liver microsomes, the reaction was strongly inhibitable by quinidine, a relatively specific 2D6 inhibitor. Conclusion: The complex parallel biotransformation pathways of nefazodone are mediated mainly by human cytochrome P450-3A, whereas clearance of mCPP is mediated by P450-2D6. Nefazodone and two of its hydroxylated metabolites are potent 3A inhibitors, accounting for pharmacokinetic drug interactions of nefazodone with 3A substrate drugs such as triazolam and alprazolam. Received: 4 January 1999/Final version: 24 February 1999     

2,5-Dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone: a novel major in vitro metabolite of benzophenone-3 formed by rat and human liver microsomes

1.?When benzophenone-3 (2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone; BP-3) was incubated with liver microsomes of untreated rats in the presence of NADPH, the 5-hydroxylated metabolite, 2,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone (5-OH-BP-3), was formed as a major novel metabolite of BP-3. The 4-desmethylated metabolite, 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone (2,4-diOH-BP), previously reported as the major in vivo metabolite of BP-3, was also detected. However, the amount of 5-OH-BP-3 formed in vitro was about the same as that of 2,4-diOH-BP.

2.?The oxidase activity affording 5-OH-BP-3 was inhibited by SKF 525-A and ketoconazole, and partly by quinidine and sulfaphenazole. The oxidase activity affording 2,4-diOH-BP was inhibited by SKF 525-A, ketoconazole and α-naphthoflavone, and partly by sulfaphenazole.

3.?The oxidase activity affording 5-OH-BP-3 was enhanced in liver microsomes of dexamethasone-, phenobarbital- and 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats. The activity affording 2,4-diOH-BP was enhanced in liver microsomes of 3-methylcholanthrene- and phenobarbital-treated rats.

4.?When examined recombinant rat cytochrome P450 isoforms catalyzing the metabolism of BP-3, 5-hydroxylation was catalyzed by P450 3A2, 1A1, 2B1, 2C6 and 2D1, while 4-desmethylation was catalyzed by P450 2C6 and 1A1.     

Roles of cytochrome P450 3A enzymes in the 2-hydroxylation of 1,4-cineole,a monoterpene cyclic ether,by rat and human liver microsomes

1. Oxidation of 1,4-cineole, a monoterpene cyclic ether, was studied in rat and human liver microsomes and recombinant cytochrome P450 (P450 or CYP) enzymes expressed in insect cells in which human P450 and NADPH-P450 reductase cDNAs have been introduced. On analysis with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, 2- exo -hydroxy-1,4-cineole was identified as a principal oxidation product of 1,4-cineole catalysed by rat and human P450 enzymes. 2. CYP3A4 was a major enzyme involved in the 2-hydroxylation of 1,4-cineole by human liver microsomes, based on the following lines of evidence. First, 1,4-cineole 2-hydroxylation activities catalysed by human liver microsomes were inhibited by ketoconazole, a potent inhibitor of CYP3A activities, and an anti-CYP3A4 antibody. Second, there was a good correlation between CYP3A4 contents and 1,4-cineole 2-hydroxylation activities in liver microsomes of eighteen human samples examined. Finally, of 10 recombinant human P450 enzymes examined, CYP3A4 had the highest activity for 1,4-cineole 2-hydroxylation. 3. Liver microsomal 1,4-cineole 2-hydroxylation activities were induced in rat by pregnenolone 16 α-carbonitrile and dexamethasone and extensively inhibited by ketoconazole, indicative of the possible roles of CYP3A enzymes in this reaction. 4. Kinetic analysis showed that V max / K m for 1,4-cineole 2-hydroxylation catalysed by liver microsomes was higher in a human sample HL-104 (4.6 μM -1?min -1) than those of rat treated with pregnenolone 16 α-carbonitrile (0.49 μM -1?min -1) and dexamethasone (0.36 μM -1?min -1). 5. 1,8-Cineole, a structurally related monoterpene previously shown to be catalysed by CYP3A enzymes, inhibited 1,4-cineole 2-hydroxylation catalysed by human liver microsomes, whereas 1,4-cineole did not inhibit 1,8-cineole 2-hydroxylation activities. Both compounds caused inhibition of testosterone 6 β -hydroxylation by human liver microsomes, the former compound being more inhibitory than the latter. 6. These results suggest that 1,4-cineole and 1,8-cineole, two plant essential oils present in Citrus medica L. var. acida and Eucalyptus polybractea, respectively, are converted to 2-hydroxylated products by CYP3A enzymes in rat and human liver microsomes. It is unknown at present whether the 2-hydroxylation products of these compounds are more active biologically than the parent compound.     

Selective inhibition of CYP2C8 by fisetin and its methylated metabolite,geraldol, in human liver microsomes

Fisetin is a flavonol compound commonly found in edible vegetables and fruits. It has anti-tumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. Geraldol, the O-methyl metabolite of fisetin in mice, is reported to suppress endothelial cell migration and proliferation. Although the in vivo and in vitro effects of fisetin and its metabolites are frequently reported, studies on herb–drug interactions have not yet been performed. This study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effect of fisetin and geraldol on eight isoforms of human cytochrome P450 (CYP) by using cocktail assay and LC-MS/MS analysis. The selective inhibition of CYP2C8-catalyzed paclitaxel hydroxylation by fisetin and geraldol were confirmed in pooled human liver microsomes (HLMs). In addition, an IC₅₀ shift assay under different pre-incubation conditions confirmed that fisetin and geraldol shows a reversible concentration-dependent, but not mechanism-based, inhibition of CYP2C8. Moreover, Michaelis-Menten, Lineweaver-burk plots, Dixon and Eadie-Hofstee showed a non-competitive inhibition mode with an equilibrium dissociation constant of 4.1 μM for fisetin and 11.5 μM for geraldol, determined from secondary plot of the Lineweaver-Burk plot. In conclusion, our results indicate that fisetin showed selective reversible and non-competitive inhibition of CYP2C8 more than its main metabolite, geraldol, in HLMs.     

In vitro metabolism of cyclosporin A with rabbit renal or hepatic microsomes: analysis by HPLC-FPIA and HPLC-MS

 Cyclosporin A (CsA) is in vivo mainly metabolized by hepatic cytochrome P450 IIIA to more than 21 metabolites, the major ones known as: M1, M17 and M21. The aim of this work is to explore the in vitro metabolism of CsA after incubation, in the presence of NADPH, with renal or hepatic microsomes obtained from rabbits pretreated with rifampycin (enzyme inducer) or erythromycin (enzyme inhibitor). The presumed metabolites were separated by semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identified in each collected fraction by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) (HPLC-FPIA) using a non-specific polyclonal antibody. They were also analyzed by HPLC-mass spectrometry (MS) using fast atom bombardment (HPLC-MS-FAB). Five collected fractions gave positive results with FPIA. The major metabolites found were M1, M17 and M21 after identification by HPLC-MS-FAB and comparison with three corresponding standard metabolites. The CsA biotransformation rates were calculated by the amount of unmetabolized CsA and were linear with time. These mean rates (V_m) for 12-min incubation by renal microsomes of rabbits treated with rifampicin or erythromycin or untreated (control) were 0.11, 0.02 and 0.04 nmol/min×mg microsomal protein, respectively. These rates were 15 -, 37 -, and 30-fold lower than those obtained with hepatic microsomes of rabbits treated identically. As CsA metabolites are less cytotoxic than the parent drug, this weak renal biotransformation of CsA after in vitro incubation should be one of the mechanisms of its in vivo nephrotoxicity. Received: 14 September 1994/Accepted: 21 November 1994     

In vitro inhibition of human liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes by rose bengal: system-dependent effects on inhibitory potential

Abstract

1. Rose bengal (4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-2′,4′,5′,7′-tetraiodofluorescein) is being developed for the treatment of cutaneous melanoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Interestingly, rose bengal can generate singlet oxygen species upon exposure to light.

2. We evaluated rose bengal as an in vitro inhibitor of cytochrome P450 (CYP) or UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes in both human liver microsomes (HLM) and cryopreserved human hepatocytes (CHHs) under both yellow light and dark conditions.

3. Rose bengal directly inhibited CYP3A4/5 and UGT1A6 in HLM under yellow light with inhibitor concentration that causes 50% inhibition (IC₅₀) values of 0.072 and 0.035?μM, respectively; whereas much less inhibition was observed in the dark with the IC₅₀ values increasing 43- and 120-fold, respectively. To determine if a more physiologically-relevant test system could be protected from such an effect, rose bengal was evaluated as an inhibitor of CYP1A2, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 3A4/5 and UGT enzymes in CHH. All IC₅₀ values were similar (64?±?8?μM) and little to no effect of light on inhibitory potential was observed.

4. Given the IC₅₀ values in CHH increased an order of magnitude compared to HLM and the atypical pharmacokinetics of the drug, the risk of rose bengal to cause clinically relevant drug–drug interactions is likely low, particularly when administered to cancer patients on an intermittent schedule.     

Metabolism of CJ-036878, N-(3-phenethoxybenzyl)-4-hydroxybenzamide,in liver microsomes and recombinant cytochrome P450 enzymes: metabolite identification by LC-UV/MSn and 1H-NMR

The identification of metabolites in the early stages of drug discovery is important not only for guiding structure–activity relationships (SAR) and structure–metabolism relationships (SMR) strategies, but also for predicting the potential for adverse events. The present study investigated the phase I metabolism of CJ-036878 (N-(3-phenethoxybenzyl)-4-hydroxybenzamide), a potent antagonist of the N-methyl-D-asparatate (NMDA) receptor, using liver microsomes and representative recombinant cytochrome P450 enzymes. The structures of the oxidative metabolites M1–M11 were confirmed by LC-UV/MSⁿ and/or ¹H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). It was found that CJ-036878 is metabolized through three routes: (1) aliphatic hydroxylation that generates M1 and M2; (2) aromatic hydroxylation that produces M3–M5, M7 and M8; and (3) dimerization through an oxidative phenol coupling reaction that yields M10 and M11. The use of recombinant human cytochrome P450 enzymes suggested that CYP3A4 is the major enzyme involved in the oxidative metabolism of CJ-036878, with minor contributions from CYP1A2, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6.     

Effect of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) and ticlopidine on CYP1A2 activity and caffeine metabolism: an in vitro comparative study with human cDNA-expressed CYP1A2 and liver microsomes

The aim of the present study was to test the effect of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), which is regarded as a cytochrome P450 (CYP) CYP2A6 and CYP2E1 inhibitor, and ticlopidine, an efficient CYP2B6, CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 inhibitor, on the activity of human CYP1A2 and the metabolism of caffeine (1-N-, 3-N- and 7-N-demethylation, and C-8-hydroxylation). The experiment was carried out in vitro using human cDNA-expressed CYP1A2 (Supersomes) and human pooled liver microsomes. The effects of DDC and ticlopidine were compared to those of furafylline (a strong CYP1A2 inhibitor). A comparative in vitro study provides clear evidence that ticlopidine and DDC, applied at concentrations that inhibit the above-mentioned CYP isoforms, potently (as compared to furafylline) inhibit human CYP1A2 and caffeine metabolism, in particular 1-N- and 3-N-demethylation.