Exploring the biotransformation of N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propylpentanamide (an aryl valproic acid derivative) by CYP2C11, using in silico predictions and in vitro studies.

OBJECTIVES: N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propylpentanamide (HO-AAVPA), a derivative of valproic acid (VPA), has been proposed as a potential anticancer agent due to its improved antiproliferative effects in some cancer cell lines. Although there is evidence that VPA is metabolized by cytochrome P450 2C11 rat isoform, HO-AAVPA CYP-mediated metabolism has not yet been fully explored. Therefore, in this work, the biotransformation of HO-AAVPA by CYP2C11 was investigated. METHODS: Kinetic parameters and spectral interaction between HO-AAVPA and CYP were evaluated using rat liver microsomes. The participation of CYP2C11 in metabolism of HO-AAVPA was confirmed by cimetidine (CIM) inhibition assay. Docking and molecular dynamics simulations coupled to MMGBSA methods were used in theoretical study. KEY FINDINGS: HO-AAVPA is metabolized by CYP enzymes (KM  = 38.94 µm), yielding a hydroxylated metabolite according to its HPLC retention time (5.4 min) and MS analysis (252.2 m/z). In addition, CIM inhibition in rat liver microsomes (Ki  = 59.23 µm) confirmed that CYP2C11 is mainly involved in HO-AAVPA metabolism. Furthermore, HO-AAVPA interacts with CYP2C11 as a type I ligand. HO-AAVPA is stabilized at the CYP2C11 ligand recognition site through a map of interactions similar to other typical CYP2C11 substrates. CONCLUSION: Therefore, rat liver CYP2C11 isoform is able to metabolize HO-AAVPA.

A simple validated RP-HPLC bioanalytical method for the quantitative determination of a novel valproic acid arylamide derivative in rat hepatic microsomes.

A simple and specific bioanalytical method based on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled with ultraviolet detection was developed and validated for the determination of a novel valproic acid arylamide, N-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-propylpentanamide (HO-AAVPA) in rat hepatic microsomes (a subcellular fraction containing phase I enzymes, especially cytochrome P450). The chromatographic separation was achieved using a reversed-phase Zorbax SB-C18 column and a mobile phase of acetic acid in water (0.2% v/v) and acetonitrile (40:60 v/v) with a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 882-7060 ng/mL (r(2) = 0.9987), and the lower limit of quantification and the lower limit of determination were found to be 882 and 127.99 ng/mL, respectively. The method was validated with excellent sensitivity, and intra-day accuracy and precision varied from 93.79 to 93.12%, and from 2.12 to 4.36%, respectively. The inter-day accuracy and precision ranged from 93.29 to 97.30% and from 0.68 to 3.60%, respectively. The recovery of HO-AAVPA was measured between 91.36 and 97.98%. The assay was successfully applied to the analysis of kinetic metabolism and pharmacokinetic parameters in vitro by a substrate depletion approach.