CYP3A4/5 mediates the metabolic detoxification of humantenmine, a highly toxic alkaloid from Gelsemium elegans Benth.

Gelsemium elegans Benth., a well-known toxic herbal plant, is widely used to treat rheumatic arthritis, inflammation and other diseases. Gelsemium contains humantenmine (HMT), which is an important bioactive and toxic alkaloid. Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) play important roles in the elimination and detoxification of exogenous substances. This study aimed to investigate the roles of CYPs in the metabolism and detoxification of HMT. First, metabolic studies were performed in vitro by using human liver microsomes, selective chemical inhibitors and recombinant human CYPs. Results indicated that four metabolites, including hydroxylation and oxidation metabolites, were found in human liver microsomes and identified based on their high-resolution mass spectrum. The isoform responsible for HMT metabolism was mainly CYP3A4/5. Second, the toxicity of HMT on L02 cells in the presence of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate system (NADPH) was significantly less than that without NADPH system. A CYP3A4/5 activity inhibition model was established by intraperitoneally injecting ketoconazole in mice and used to evaluate the role of CYP3A4/5 in HMT detoxification. In this model, the 14-day survival rate of the mice decreased to 17% after they were intragastrically treated with HMT, along with hepatic injury and increasing alanine aminotransferase (ALT) /aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. Overall, CYP3A4/5 mediated the metabolism and detoxification of HMT.

Eriodictyol, Not Its Glucuronide Metabolites, Attenuates Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity.

Acetaminophen (APAP) is one of the most commonly used oral analgesics and antipyretics, but hepatotoxicity including liver failure may occur after overdose. The therapeutic options for treating APAP hepatotoxicity are limited. Eriodictyol, a dietary flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, was used here to determine its protective effects against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity in mice. Various administration routes and pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) analyses were used to determine these effects. Protective effects were observed in intravenously and intraperitoneally but not in intragastrically administered eriodictyol. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed two monoglucuronide metabolites of eriodictyol in liver and intestine microsomes. Recombinant human uridine-5'-diphospho -glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms and chemical inhibition studies demonstrated that UGT1As (mainly UGT1A1, UGT1A9, UGT1A10) and UGT2B7 were likely the main contributors to eriodictyol glucuronidation. Intragastric administration of eriodictyol, which displayed lower parent and higher metabolite concentrations in the plasma, did not elicit protective effects against APAP hepatotoxicity, when compared to the intraperitoneal injection of eriodictyol. The relative bioavailability of eriodictyol was increased to 216.84% with the coadministration of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), an inhibitor of UGT1As. Intragastric administration of eriodictyol in combination with GA also induced protective effects against APAP hepatotoxicity. Furthermore, intragastric administration of eriodictyol attenuated APAP hepatotoxicity in heterozygous Ugt1 (Ugt1+/-) mice but not in its wild-type littermates. Thus, UGT1A-mediated metabolic inactivation reduced the protective effect of eriodictyol. Eriodictyol attenuated APAP hepatotoxicity via inhibition of hepatic cytochrome P450 (cyp) 2e1 and cyp3a11 activities; reserve of glutathione (GSH) by improvement of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities; elevation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity; and reduction of malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Our findings indicate that parenterally administered eriodictyol may be used to treat APAP-induced hepatotoxicity, and its efficacy can be enhanced by UGT1As down-regulation.

Development of a validated UPLC-MS/MS method for determination of humantenmine in rat plasma and its application in pharmacokinetics and bioavailability studies.

Humantenmine (HMT), the most toxic compound isolated from Gelsemium elegans Benth, is a well-known active herbal compound. A rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to estimate the absolute oral bioavailability of HMT in rats. Quantification was performed by multiple reaction monitoring using electrospray ionization operated in positive ion mode with transitions of m/z 327.14 → m/z 296.19 for HMT and m/z 323.20 → m/z 236.23 for gelsemine (internal standard, IS). The linear range of the calibration curve was 1-256 nmol/L, with a lower limit of quantification at 1 nmol/L. The accuracy of HMT ranged from 89.39 to 107.5%, and the precision was within 12.24% (RSD). Excellent recovery and negligible matrix effect were observed. HMT remained stable during storage, preparation and analytical procedures. The pharmacokinetics of HMT in rats showed that HMT reached the concentration peak at 12.50 ± 2.74 min with a peak concentration of 28.49 ± 6.65 nmol/L, and the corresponding area under the concentration-time curve (AUC0-t ) was 1142.42 ± 202.92 nmol/L min after 200 µg/kg HMT was orally administered to rats. The AUC0-t of HMT given at 20 µg/kg by tail vein administration was 1518.46 ± 192.24 nmol/L min. The calculated absolute bioavailability of HMT was 7.66%.

Oxidative metabolism of koumine is mainly catalyzed by microsomal CYP3A4/3A5.

1. Gelsemium elegans Benth (Loganiaceae) is a toxic plant that can be used for committing suicide besides alleviating pains. Its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect mainly come from its active ingredient, namely koumine. Koumine, an indole alkaloid, possesses widely pharmacological effects especially inhibition of neuropathic pain. 2. This study aimed to investigate the metabolic profile of koumine using human liver microsomes (HLMs), selective chemical inhibitors and recombinant human CYP isoforms. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS) was used to detect and identify metabolites. 3. Four major metabolites of koumine were found after incubation with HLMs or individual CYP isoforms. The metabolic pathways of koumine included demethylation, dehydrogenation, oxidation and demethyl-dehydrogenation. Chemical inhibition study showed that the inhibitor of CYP3A4/3A5 significantly decreased (93%) the formation of koumine metabolites. Further, CYP3A4/3A5 was shown as the most efficient isoform in biotransformation of koumine, among a series of CYP isoforms tested. 4. In conclusion, koumine was metabolized into four oxidative metabolites in HLMs. And CYP3A4/3A5 was probably the main contributor to the hepatic oxidative metabolism of koumine.