Effects of Diazepam,Phenobarbital,Propranolol,and Cimetidine on Diazepam Oxidizing Isoenzymes in Rat Liver Microsomes

Isolation and identification of the liver microsomal cytochrome P 450 isoen zymes responsible for the formation of diazepam main metabolites nordiazepam and temazepam in rats were studied. The effects of P 450 inducers and inhibitors on the protein contents in SDS poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis and thin layer chromatography to the corresponding diazepam me tabolizing activities of rat liver microsomes were observed. The P 450 contents were dramatically re duced by ip diazepam, cimetidine or propranolol. Diazepam and propranolol inhibited temazepam formation, high dose of propranolol also inhibited nordiazepam formation. Phenobarbital increased the P 450 contents and induced the production of both nordiazepam and temazepam. It also induced proteins with molecular weight (m) of 51 and 59 kDa in SDS PAGE and those with m ranging from 45 to 55 kDa and from 55 to 65 kDa in TLC. Propranolol inhibited both fractions, especially that of m 55～65 kDa, whereas diazepam tended to inhibit the fraction of 45～55 kDa. The protein of m 51 kDa could be mainly involved in diazepam C3 hydroxylation, whereas those of m 59 kDa could be responsible for the N demethylation of diazepam in rats.

Effect of Quercetin on CYP1A2, CYP2E1, CYP3A2 Activities and its Inhibitory Mechanism Studies in Rat Liver Microsomes

Aim To assess the potential effect of quercetin （QU）, an natural plant estrogen, on CYP1A2, CYP2E1, and CYP3A2 activities in rat liver microsomes; and to identify the magnitude of inhibitory effect and the probable inhibitory mechanism of QU. Methods QU and specific substrate were concurrently incubated, with HPLC detection of the substrate metabolites for data analysis. The magnitude of inhibitory effect of QU on CYP3A2 was compared with those of ketoconazole （Ket） and erythromycin （Ery）. The mechanism of its inhibitory effect on CYP3A2 and CYP2E1 was derived from Lineweaver-Burk plots. Results HPLC methods were in good linear relationship with r〉0.999 1. Relative standard deviations for intra-day and inter-day were〈8.4%. Recovery of each analyte in the concentrations studied was between 91.1% and 107.6 %. QU （up to 8 μmol·L^-1） showed potent induction to CYP1A2 （338.1% of the negative control）while inhibited CYP2E1 （49.2% of the negative control） and CYP3A2 （60.3% of the negative control） activity. The magnitude of inhibitory effect for QU on CYP3A2 was between those for Ket and Ery （Ket〉QU〉Ery）. QU exhibited competitive inhibition of CYP3A2 dextromethorphan N-demethylation reaction and expressed noncompetitive inhibition of CYP2E1 chlorzoxazone-6-hydroxylation reaction. Conclusion HPLC assay has been validated with precision and accuracy. QU is an effective inhibitor of several CYP isoforms. It may cause relevant drug-drug interactions with CYP3A substrates. As a plant flavonoid, QU has potential not only in molecular advantage but also in CYP450 module capability for further application in cancer chemotherapy.

Chiral metabolism of propafenone in rat hepatic microsomes treated with two inducers

AIM: To study the influence of inducers of drug metabolism enzyme, beta-naphthoflavone (BNF) and dexamethasone (DEX), on the stereoselective metabolism of propafenone in the rat hepatic microsomes. METHODS: Phase I metabolism of propafenone was studied using the microsomes induced by BNF and DEX and the non-induced microsome was used as the control. The enzymatic kinetics parameters of propafenone enantiomers were calculated by regress analysis of Eadie-Hofstee Plots. Propafenone enantiomer concentrations were assayed by a chiral HPLC. RESULTS: The metabolite of propafenone, N-desalkylpropafenone, was found after incubation of propafenone with the rat hepatic microsomes induced by BNF and DEX. In these two groups, the stereoselectivity favoring R(-) isomer was observed in metabolism at low substrate concentrations of racemic propafenone, but lost the stereoselectivity at high substrate concentrations. However, in control group, no stereoselectivity was observed. The enzyme kinetic parameters were: (1) K(m). Control group: R(-) 83+/-6, S(+) 94+/-7; BNF group: R(-) 105+/-6, S(+)128+/-14; DEX group: R(-) 86+/-11, S(+) 118+/-16; (2)V(max). Control group: R(-) 0.75+/-0.16, S(+) 0.72+/-0.07; BNF group: R(-) 1.04+/-0.15, S(+)1.07+/-14; DEX group: R(-) 0.93+/-0.06, S(+) 1.04+/-0.09; (3)Cl(int). Control group: R(-) 8.9+/-1.1, S(+) 7.6+/-0.7; BNF group: R(-) 9.9+/-0.9, S(+)8.3+/-0.7; DEX group: R(-) 10.9+/-0.8, S(+) 8.9+/-0.9. The enantiomeric differences in K(m) and Cl(int) were both significant, but not in V(max), in BNF and DEX group. Whereas enantiomeric differences in three parameters were all insignificant in control group. Furthermore, K(m) and V(max) were both significantly less than those in BNF or DEX group. In the rat liver microsome induced by DEX, nimodipine (NDP) decreased the stereoselectivity in propafenone metabolism at low substrate concentration. The inhibition of NDP on the metabolism of propafenone was stereoselective with R(-)-isomer being impaired more than S(+)-isomer. The inhibition constant (Ki) of S(+)- and R(-)-propafenone, calculated from Dixon plots, was 15.4 and 8.6 mg x L(-1), respectively. CONCLUSION: CYP1A subfamily(induced by BNF) and CYP3A4 (induced by DEX) have pronounced contribution to propafenone N-desalkylation which exhibited stereoselectivity depending on substrate concentration. The molecular base for this phenomenon is the stereoselectivity in affinity of substrate to the enzyme activity centers instead of at the catalyzing sites.

Identification and interspecies characterization of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoforms catalyzing acacetin glucuronidation using recombinant UGT enzymes and microsomes

Objective:To explore the glucuronic acid metabolism of acacetin in human liver and intestinal microsomes to better characterize human uridine 5'-diphospho (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms.In addition,interspecies comparisons were performed to identify the most appropriate experimental animal model for an in vivo study.Methods:Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were used to confirm the successful biosynthesis of acacetin-7-O-glucuronide.Human isoforms of UGT and isozyme-specific chemical inhibitors were used for recombinant assays.Acacetin glucuronidation kinetics were assessed by combining acacetin with recombinant human UGT isoforms or with microsomes from humans or experimental animals.Kinetic differences between species were assessed in vitro using the same approach.Results:We identified multiple UGT isoforms that facilitated acacetin glucuronidation,and found that UGT1A1 was the major isoform that catalyzed this process.Acacetin-7-O-glucuronide formation exhibited clear substrate inhibition kinetics when combined with recombinant UGTs or with liver/intestinal microsomes derived from humans,monkeys,rats,mice,dogs,or pigs.Intrinsic metabolic clearance values of human intestinal microsomes were two-fold greater than those of human liver microsomes.Among the evaluated species,the Km value of dog microsomes (0.86 μM) was greatest in acacetin glucuronidation,while mice exhibited the highest CLint value,5.05 mL/min/mg.The CLint values of microsomes derived from monkeys and minipigs were 1.99 mL/min/mg and 2.12 mL/min/mg,respectively,exhibiting similar intrinsic metabolic clearance activity to that observed in humans.Conclusion:Monkey may represent a suitable model for experimental studies of acacetin pharmacokinetics owing to a high sequence homology of UGT1A1 and similar UGT1A1 glucuronidation activity to humans.

A Validated Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Method for the Detection and Quantification of Oxidative Metabolites of 2,2',4,4'-Tetrabromodiphenyl Ether in Rat Hepatic Microsomes

In the present study, we developed and validated an analytical method using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) for the quantitative determination of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) metabolism by rat hepatic microsomes. BDE-47 is a brominated flame retardant that was widely used in a variety of consumer products and has subsequently been identified as a ubiquitous environmental contaminant. Hydroxy-bromodiphenyl ethers (OH-BDEs) were isolated from rat hepatic microsomes by liquid-liquid extraction. Chromatographic separation was achieved by UPLC on a C18 column with gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of methanol and water, each containing 0.1% formic acid, at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. Detection and quantification were performed using a mass spectrometer in single ion recording mode with negative electrospray ionization. The UPLC/MS method was validated for linearity, limit of quantification (LOQ), accuracy, precision and recovery. The weighted calibration curves (1/X2) were linear over a concentration range of 5 - 250 nM with LOQ values between 5 nM and 50 nM for the individual OH-BDEs. Intra- and inter- day accuracy (%DEV) and precision (%RSD) values ranged from –11.7% to 9.5% and 5.9% to 16.5%, respectively. Recovery values of 70% to 90% were obtained for all OH-BDEs. The validated method allowed us to successfully analyze metabolite formation following incubation of BDE-47 with hepatic microsomes prepared from phenobarbital-treated rats. Results demonstrate that the UPLC/MS method has sufficient sensitivity and reproducibility to fully characterize the in vitro metabolism of BDE-47 and possibly other PBDEs.

Oxidative Metabolism of Estrone Modified by Genistein and Bisphenol A in Rat Liver Microsomes

Genistein, the main isoflavone from soy, and bisphenol A （BPA）, a food contaminant, are considered ubiquitous xenoestrogens. Here we investigated the influence of genistein and BPA on estrone （El） metabolism in rat liver microsomes. Both substances inhibited the 2-hydroxylation and 16a-hydroxylation of E1, but in different degrees, thereby reducing the 2-OH-E1/16a-OH-E1 ratio,

Stereoselective glucuronidation of carvedilol by Chinese liver microsomes

Objective: To study the stereoselective glucuronidation of carvedilol (CARV) by three Chinese liver microsomes. Methods: The metabolites of CARV were identified by a hydrolysis reaction with β-glucuronidase and HPLC-MS/MS. The enzyme kinetics for CARV enantiomers glucuronidation was determined by a reversed phase-high pressure liquid chromatogra-phy (RP-HPLC) assay using (S)-propafenone as internal standard after precolumn derivatization with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosylisothiocyanate. Results: Two CARV glucuronides were found in three Chinese liver microsomes incubated with CARV. The non-linear regression analysis showed that the values of Km and Vmax for (S)-CARV and (R)-CARV enantiomers were (118±44) μmol/L, (2 500±833) pmol/(min·mg protein) and (24±7) μmol/L, (953±399) pmol/(min·mg protein), respectively. Conclusion: These results suggested that there was a significant (P<0.05) stereoselective glucuronidation of CARV enantiomers in three Chinese liver microsomes, which might partly explain the enantioselective pharmacokinetics of CARV.

Involvement of CYP2B6 in the biotransformation of propofol by human liver microsomes

Objective To determine whether the cytochrome P4502B6(CYP2B6)is involved in the oxidation of propofol by human liver microsomes.Methods The change of propofol concentration in an incubation mixture with human liver microsomes was monitored by the high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC),in order to calculate the rate constants of metabolism of propofol.The correlation between the rate constants and the rate of metabolism of CYP2B6 selective substrate bupropion,and the effect of two different CYP2B6 specific inhibitors on the propofol metabolism were examined.Results The mean rate constant of propofol metabolism by liver microsomes obtained from twelve individuals was 3.9(95% confidence intervals 3.3,4.5)nmol·min-1·mg-1 protein.The rate constants of propofol metabolism by liver microsomes were significantly correlated with bupropion hydroxylation(r=0.888,P<0.001).Both selective chemical inhibitors of CYP2B6,orphenadrine and N,N',N″-triethylenethiophosphoramide(thioTEPA),reduced the rate constants of propofol metabolism by 37.5%(P<0.001)and 42.7%(P<0.001)in liver microsomes,respectively.Conclusions CYP2B6 is predominantly involved in the oxidation of propofol by human liver microsomes.

Studies on the Metabolic Pathway and Structure—Activity Relationship about the Conversion of Trifluoroanilines to Carbon monoxide by Rat Hepatic Microsomes in vitro

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Inhibitory Effects of Several Fluoroquinolones on Feline CYP1A and 3A in Hepatic Microsomes

In this study, the effects of several fluoroquinolones (FQs), such as Ciprofloxacin (CPFX);Orbifloxacin (OBFX);Norfloxacin (NFX);Ofloxacin (OFX);and Enerofloxacin (EFX) on activities of both Cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) and Cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) of feline microsomes by in vitro tests were studied. Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation (EROD) and Midazolam 1' hydroxylation and 4-hydroxylation (MDZ1'H and MDZ4H) were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). All the FQs inhibited the reactions by a competitive or noncompetitive and irreversible manner. The inhibitory constants (Ki) were as followings: CYP1A;ranged from 0.12 to 1.23 mM for NFX, OBFX, EFX, CPFX, OFX and CYP3A, for MDZ1'H;ranged from 5.8 to 35 and MDZ4H;9 to 29 mM, respectively. As these values are higher by 24 to 200-times of given single clinical dose of serum levels after application of FQs. It indicates that if co-administrated with these FQs by reversible inhibitory manner, the inhibition of CYP1A and CYP3A effect on CYP1A and 3A actions is not very significant to cause drug interaction with above mentioned enzyme substrates. Out of the FQs tested, CPFX and NFX for CYP1A, and CPFX for CYP3A showed irreversible inhibitory effects (time-dependent), so it has been concluded that these drugs may cause drug-drug interaction by accumulation, when they are repeatedly administrated. Since EFX is biotransformed to CPFX by the liver, it could have the identical risk too.

Flavonoids Reduce Lipid Peroxides and Increase Glutathione Levels in Pooled Human Liver Microsomes (HLMs)

The effects of each of the flavonoids;genistein (G), quercetin (Q) and kaempferol (K) at several doses on lipid peroxides (LP) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in pooled human liver microsomes (HLMs) were investigated following the oxidative damage for 4, 6, 18 and 24 hr. HLMs (1 mg/ml) were exposed to each of the above flavonoids at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 μM and incubated for the respective times as previously stated. Our hypothesis was that HLMs exposed to the flavonoids for the respective exposure times can decrease LP and increase GSH in HLMs to better cope with the oxidative stress. The results of our studies indicate that each of the flavonoids significantly (p < 0.01) decreased LP compared to their respective controls. The highest decrease in LP was observed for K followed by Q and G. Significant increases (p < 0.01) in GSH were observed for the flavonoid doses tested with the highest levels observed for Q for the 24-hr. incubation. The findings suggest that the flavonoids modulate oxidative stress in HLMs by decreasing LP and such decreases in LPs may be due to the increasing and or the replenished levels of GSH in the said cells to better cope with the oxidative stress.

Stereoselective propranolol metabolism in two drug induced rat hepatic microsomes

AIM To study the influence of inducers BNFand PB on the stereoselective metabolism ofpropranolol in rat hepatic microsomes.METHODS Phase Ⅰ metabolism of propranololwas studied by using the microsomes induced byBNF and PB and the non-induced microsome asthe control.The enzymatic kinetic parameters ofpropranolol enantiomers were calculated byregression analysis of Lineweaver-Burk plots.Propranolol concentrations were assayed byHPLC.RESULTS A RP-HPLC method was developed todetermine propranolol concentration in rathepatic microsomes.The linearity equations forR（+）-propranolol and S（-）-propranolol wereA=705.7C+311.2C（R = 0.9987）and A= 697.2C+311.4C（R = 0.9970）respectively.Recoveriesof each enantiomer were 98.9%,99.5%,101.0%at 60 μmol/L,120 μmol/L,240 μmol/Lrespectively.At the concentration level of120 μmol/L,propranolol enantiomers weremetabolized at different rates in differentmicrosomes.The concentration ratio R（+）/S（-）of control and PB induced microsomesincreased with time,whereas that of microsomeinduced by BNF decreased.The assayed enzymeparameters were:1.Km.Control group:R（+）30+8,S（-）18+5;BNFgroup:R（+）34+3,S（-）39±7;PB group:R（+）38±17,S（-）36±10.2.Vmax.Control group:R（+）1.5+0.2,S（-）2.9±0.3;BNF group:R（+）3.8±0.3,S（-）3.3±0.5;PB group:R（+）0.07±0.03,S（-）1.94±0.07.3.Clint.Control group:R（+）60±3,S（-）170±30;BNF group:R（+）111.0±1,S（-）84± 5;PBgroup:R（+）2.0±2,S（-）56.0±1.Theenzyme.parameters compared with unpaired ttests showed that no stereoselectivity wasobserved in enzymatic affinity of threemicrosomes to enantiomers and their catalyticabilities were quite different and hadstereoselectivities.Compared with the control,microsome induced by BNF enhanced enzymeactivity to propranolol R（+）-enantiomer,andmicrosome induced by PB showed less enzymeactivity to propranolol S（-）-enantiomer whichremains the same stereoselectivities as that ofthe control.CONCLUSION Enzyme activity centers of themicrosome were changed in composition andregioselectivity after the induction of BNF andPB,and the stereoselectivities of propranololcytochrome P450 metabolism in rat hepaticmicrosomes were likely due to thestereoselectivities of the catalyzing function inenzyme.CYP1A subfamily induced by BNFexhibited pronounced contribution to propranololmetabolism with stereoselectivity to R（+）-enantiomer.CYP2B subfamily induced by PBexhibited moderate contribution to propranololmetabolism,but still had the stereoselectivity ofS（-）-enantiomer.

Reductive Metabolism of Nitroaromatic Compounds by Various Liver Microsomes

Nitroaromatic compounds were reductively metabolized to the corresponding amine compounds via the intermediate hydroxylamines by liver microsomes from pig,rat,chook,cattle,sheep,paralichthys olivaceus and cyprinoid in varied reactivity.Similar with baker＇s yeast,the pig,rat and sheep liver microsomes exhibited high reactivity toward 4-nitro-1,2-dicyanbenzen（1a）,while the cyprinoid liver microsomes were inefficient.Contrasted to compound 1a,monocyannitrobenzene（2a） was difficult to reduce by pig liver microsomes.In opposition to grape cells,pig liver microsomes exhibited activities toward some aromatic hydroxylamine compounds.

Biotransformation of malabaricone C by rat hepatic microsomes and cytotoxic activities against gastric cancer cells in vitro

Malabaricone C （1）, isolated from the seeds ofMyristicafragrans Houtt., belongs to a kind of diarylnonanoid compounds that are only found in Myristicaceae till now. In this study, biotransformation of 1 was investigated using rat hepatic microsomes for the first time and the main biotransformation product was elucidated as malabaricone B （2） according to the spectroscopic data. Further evaluation on human gastric cancer cell lines showed that the cytotoxic effects of malabaricone C and its metabolite malabaricone B were comparable to those of vinorelbine, with the values of IC50 of （42.62±3.10） and （19.80±1.70） μg/mL on NCI-N87, and （22.94±1.33） and （19.60±2.21） μg/mL on MGC803, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed that malabaricone B had significantly stronger cytotoxicity than the parent compound （P〈0.01 on NCI-N87 and P〈0.05 on MGC803）, which may indicate a bioactivation of malabaricone C by hepatic microsomes. These results suggest that malabaricone C has a simple biotransformation pathway by hepatic microsomes and provide valuable information for further investigation on both the parent compound and its biotransformation product as anti-gastric cancer agents or lead compounds.

Inhibitory effect of the combination of notoginseng total saponins and safflower total flavonoids on UDP-glucuronosyltransferases 1A1, 1A4, and 2B7 in human liver microsomes

In the present study, the potential inhibition behaviors of notoginseng total saponins(NS), safflower total flavonoids(SF), and their combination(CNS) towards three major isoforms of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases(UGTs) in human liver microsomes(HLMs) were investigated to study the mechanism of the synergistic effect of CNS.Etoposide, trifluoperazine and azidothymidine were selected as the probe drugs to elucidate the activities of UGT1A1, 1A4 and 2B7 by UPLC-MS/MS method, respectively.The results showed that CNS, NS and SF significantly inhibited the activities of UGT1A1, 1A4 and 2B7(P<0.05) with the IC_(50) values less than 30 mg/mL.Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of CNS towards UGT1A1, 1A4 and 2B7 were stronger than those of NS and SF(P<0.05).In conclusion, the combination of NS and SF could increase their inhibitory effects on UGT1A1, 1A4 and 2B7 activities in HLMs and might be conducive to reduce the phase II metabolism of the effective constituents in CNS.The potential herb-drug interactions of CNS based on UGT enzymes provided a useful experimental basis for its further research and development.

Biotransformation of methyleugenol by rat hepatic microsomes

Methyleugenol （1）, one of the main bioactive constituents of the seeds of Myristicafragrans Houtt. （family： Myristicaceae）, was incubated with rat hepatic microsomes from rats pretreated with sodium phenobarbital. Eight biotransformation products named （R）-l＇-methoxymethyleugenol （2）, 3-（3,4-dimethoxyphenyl）-l-methoxyprop-2-ene （3）, cis-3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl acetate （4）, trans-3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl acetate （5）, （R）-I hydroxymethyleugenol （6）, trans-3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl alcohol （7）, cis-3,4-dimethoxycinnamyl alcohol （8）, and （R）-3-（3,4-dimethoxyphenyl）-propane-l,2-diol （9） were obtained and their structures were elucidated by NMR and MS data analysis and by comparison with the previously reported data. The biotransformation of 1 may provide valuable information for the use of methyleugenol. The NMR data of compounds 4 and 6 were reported for the first time.

Inhibition of Re Du Ning Injection on Enzyme Activities of Rat Liver Microsomes Using Cocktail Method

Objective Re Du Ning Injection （RDN）, a Chinese materia medica injection, is made from the extracts of LoniceraeJaponicae Flos, Gardeniae Fructus, and Artemisiae Annuae Herba. Since last decade, RDN has been widely used in China for the treatment of viral infection, fever, and inflammation. To assess the potential interacting of RDN with co-administered drugs, the inhibitory effects of RDN on the enzyme activities （CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2C11, CYP2D1, and CYP3A1/2） of rat liver microsomes were investigated by a cocktail method. Methods A sensitive and specific LC-MS method capable of simultaneous quantification of five metabolites in rat liver microsomes was developed and validated. Then RDN （0.625%-1.0%） was incubated with rat liver microsomes and specific substrates. The enzyme activities were expressed as the formation rate of the specific metabolites of the substrates （pmol- mg. protein-1 . min-1）. Results RDN competitively inhibited the activities of CYP1A2 and CYP2C11, with inhibition constant （/~） values determined to be 0.18% and 0.63%, respectively. RDN exhibited the mixed inhibition on the activity of CYP2D1, with a K1 value of 0.15%. The activities of CYP1A1 and CYP3A1/2 were not markedly inhibited even by 1.0% RDN. Conclusion RDN could inhibit the rat enzyme activities of CYP1A2, 2Cll, and 2D1 in vitro with different inhibition modes, which is worthy of promoting safety and efficacy of RDN.

Inhibition of Magnolol and Honokiol on Cytochrome P450 Enzymes in Rat and Human Liver Microsomes

Objective The purpose of this work is to evaluate the in vitro inhibitory effect of magnolol（MN） and honokiol（HN） on rat / human cytochrome P450（CYP） enzymes（1A2/1A2, 2D/2D6, 3A/3A4, 2E1/2E1, and 2C/2C9）. Methods Rat liver microsomes（RLM） and human liver microsomes（HLM） were used as the enzyme sources. After the probe substrate of each CYP isoforms was co-incubated individually with MN or HN in RLM or HLM, the metabolite production of each probe substrate in RLM and HLM incubation medium was determined and used to evaluate the activity of corresponding CYP isoforms. Results MN inhibited rat CYP1A2 and human CYP3A4 with the IC50 values of 10.0 and 56.2 μmol/L, respectively. HN inhibited rat CYP1A2 and CYP2E1, human CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 with the IC50 values of 12.1, 12.6, 17.8, and 43.9 μmol/L, respectively. Conclusion HN is a moderate or weak inhibitor of human CYP1A2. Both MN and HN are weak or non inhibitors of the other tested human CYP isoforms. The results suggest that no significant metabolic interaction seems likely to occur when the substrate drugs of CYP isoforms tested in the present work are co-administered with MN and HN.

Inhibition of Cytochrome P450 by Nomilin and Obacunone and Potential Mechanism in Human Liver Microsomes

Objective Nomilin and obacunone are two important limonoids that are well known for their anticancer effect. Previous studies showed that limonoids had inhibitory effect on cytochrome P450 3A4（CYP3A4）. However these effects are inconclusive with regards to prediction of potential drug interactions. Methods Nomilin or obacunone was pre-incubated with HLMs for 30 min. Following 10-fold dilution from the pre-incubation concentration, a second incubation was performed in the presence of NADPH and cytochrome P450 substrates for 15 min. The reaction was quenched and the supernatants were analyzed by chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results In this study, nomilin and obacunone showed potent inhibitory effect on CYP3A4 with the IC_（50） values of 3.50 and 6.08 μmol/L, respectively. The inhibition of CYP3A4 was in a time-, concentration-and NADPH-dependent manner with Ki values of 2.92 and 1.25 μmol/L and Kinact values of 0.033 and 0.078 min^（-1） for nomilin and obacunone respectively. These results elucidated that they were time-dependent inhibitors for CYP3A4. Conclusion Concomitant use of limonoids and other drugs may call for extra caution for purposes of clinical safety.

An Integrated Study for the Utilization of Anthraquinone Compounds Extract“Heshouwu”In vivo and their Comparative Metabolism in Liver Microsomes Using UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF/MS^(n)

Objective: Anthraquinone(AQ), a major bioactive component of the traditional Chinese medicine He ShouW u, has widespread applications in industry and medicine. The objective of the current study is to explore the differences in the bioavailability of anthraquinones in vivo and the metabolism in liver microsomes. Materials and Methods: In vivo, we used a reliable UPLC?ESI?Qq Q?MS/MS method to measure seven AQ compounds in the jugular vein plasma of rats following oral administration of He Shou Wu. Furthermore, in order to quantify the bioavailability of AQs in vivo and to further understand the metabolism of these compounds, we compared the in vitro metabolism of AQ in different species with respect to metabolic profiles, the enzymes involved, and catalytic efficiency using liver microsomes from human(HLM), mouse(MLM), rat(RLM), and beagle dog(DLM). Results: We identified two metabolic pathways, including the hydroxylation and glucuronidation of AQ, in the liver microsomes of humans and other species using UPLC?ESI?Q?TOF. We found that substitutions on the AQ ring were crucial to the activity and regioselectivity of its hydroxylation. In general, hydroxylation activity decreased greatly with β?COOH(rhein) and enhanced dramatically with β?OH(emodin). We also found that glucuronidation of the compound emodin?8?O?β?D?glucoside acts as the main isoform in AQ hydroxylation in HLM and DLM. Total microsomal intrinsic clearance values for AQ were greatest in mouse microsomes, followed by those in dog, human, and rat microsomes. Conclusion: The absorption of different anthrquinone compounds varied based on the compound structure, the metabolism types and products of anthraquinones in liver microsomes were different in different species. These findings provide vital information for a deeper unuunderstanding of the metabolism of AQs.