A rapid and sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method for the determination of ziyuglycoside I and its application in a preliminary pharmacokinetic study in healthy and leukopenic rats.

Ziyuglycoside I (ZgI), one of the main active ingredients in the popular Diyushengbai tablet made from Sanguisorba officinalis L., has been proven to relieve leukopenia clinically. However, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the pharmacokinetics of either Diyushengbai tablet or ZgI in leukopenic vs. healthy individuals. In the present study, a rapid and sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed for detecting ZgI. On using this method on a novel cyclophosphamide-induced leukopenia model, we investigated differences in the pharmacokinetic characteristics of ZgI between leukopenic and normal rats. Chromatographic separation of ZgI and glycyrrhetinic acid (IS) was achieved via gradient elution in 0.5 min, and the total run time lasted for 5 min. Methodological validation results presented a good accuracy (102.6 %-110.8 %) and precision (% RSD ≤ 13.8) with a limit of quantitation of 0.5 ng/mL. Pharmacokinetic results showed a significantly shortened peak time (Tmax) (0.93 vs. 0.33 h) while a remarkably decreased maximum concentration (Cmax) (7.96 vs. 3.40 ng/L) in the 20 mg/kg leukopenia group in comparison with those in the 20 mg/kg normal group. In addition, a prolonged elimination half-life (t1/2ß) was observed in the 20 mg/kg leukopenia group (5.02 vs. 18.51 h). We observed similar trends in the 5 mg/kg oral dosing treatment and control groups, except for Cmax, which did not differ between the groups. We did not find pharmacokinetic differences in ZgI between the two leukopenia groups. Thus, the pharmacokinetic parameters of ZgI (e.g., Tmax, Cmax, and T1/2ß) changed based on the presence of a leukopenic state. This study may provide guidance for the development of ZgI as an agent for the treatment of leukopenia.

Inhibition of human catechol-O-methyltransferase-mediated dopamine O-methylation by daphnetin and its Phase II metabolites.

1. Finding and developing inhibitors of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) from natural products is highly recommended. Daphnetin, a naturally occurring catechol from the family thymelaeaceae, has a chemical structure similar to several potent COMT inhibitors reported previously. Here the potential of daphnetin and its Phase II metabolites as inhibitors of COMT was investigated with human liver cytosol (HLC). 2. Daphnetin and its methylated metabolite (8-O-methyldaphnetin) were found to inhibit COMT-mediated dopamine O-methylation in a dose-dependent manner. The IC50 values for daphnetin (0.51∼0.53 µM) and 8-O-methyldaphnetin (22.5∼24.3 µM) were little affected by changes in HLC concentrations. Further kinetic analysis showed the differences in inhibition type and parameters (Ki) between daphnetin (competitive, 0.37 µM) and 8-O-methyldaphnetin (noncompetitive, 25.7 µM). Other metabolites, including glucuronidated and sulfated species, showed negligible inhibition against COMT. By using in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IV-IVE), a 24.3-fold increase in the exposure of the COMT substrates was predicted when they are co-administrated with daphnetin. 3. With high COMT-inhibiting activity, daphnetin could serve as a lead compound for the design and development of new COMT inhibitors. Also, much attention should be paid to the clinical impact of combination of daphnetin and herbal preparations containing daphnetin with the drugs primarily cleared by COMT.

[In vitro metabolism of daphnetin in rat liver S9 fractions].

Daphnetin is quickly eliminated in rats after dosing, but the mechanism remains unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the in vitro metabolism of daphnetin using rat liver S9 fractions (RLS9). The metabolites formed in RLS9 were identified and the kinetic parameters for different metabolic pathways were determined. HPLC-DAD-MS analysis showed that daphnetin was biotransformed to six metabolites, which were identified as 7 or 8 mono-glucuronide and mono-sulfate, 8-methylate, and 7-suflo-8-methylate. Methylation and glucuronidation of daphnetin exhibited the Michaelis-Menten kinetic characteristics, whereas the substrate inhibition kinetic and the two-site kinetic were observed for 8-sulfate and 7-sulfate formations. Of the 3 conjugation pathways, the intrinsic clearance rate for sulfation was highest, followed by methylation and glucuronidation. By in vitro-in vivo extrapolation of the kinetic data measured in RLS9, the hepatic clearance were estimated to be 54.9 mL·min−1·kg−1 which is comparable to the system clearance (58.5 mL·min−1·kg−1) observed in rats. In conclusions, the liver might be the main site for daphnetin metabolism in rats. Sulfation, methylation and glucuronidation are important pathways of the hepatic metabolism of daphnetin in rats.

Methylation, Glucuronidation, and Sulfonation of Daphnetin in Human Hepatic Preparations In Vitro: Metabolic Profiling, Pathway Comparison, and Bioactivity Analysis.

Our previous study demonstrated that daphnetin is subject to glucuronidation in vitro. However, daphnetin metabolism is still poorly documented. This study aimed to investigate daphnetin metabolism and its consequent effect on the bioactivity. Metabolic profiles obtained by human liver S9 fractions and human hepatocytes showed that daphnetin was metabolized by glucuronidation, sulfonation, and methylation to form 6 conjugates which were synthesized and identified as 7-O-glucuronide, 8-O-glucuronide, 7-O-sulfate and 8-O-sulfate, 8-O-methylate, and 7-O-suflo-8-O-methylate. Regioselective 8-O-methylation of daphnetin was investigated using in silico docking calculations, and the results suggested that a close proximity (2.03 Å) of 8-OH to the critical residue Lysine 144 might be the responsible mechanism. Compared with glucuronidation and sulfonation pathways, the methylation of daphnetin had a high clearance rate (470 µL/min/mg) in human liver S9 fractions and contributed to a large amount (37.3%) of the methyl-derived metabolites in human hepatocyte. Reaction phenotyping studies showed the major role of SULT1A1, -1A2, and -1A3 in daphnetin sulfonation, and soluble COMT in daphnetin 8-O-methylation. Of the metabolites, only 8-O-methyldaphnetin exhibited an inhibitory activity on lymphocyte proliferation comparable to that of daphnetin. In conclusion, methylation is a crucial pathway for daphnetin clearance and might be involved in pharmacologic actions of daphnetin in humans.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Effect of 7-Methyl Substitution on Glucuronidation of Daphnetin: Metabolic Stability, Isoform Selectivity, and Bioactivity Analysis.

The C-8 phenol group is essential to exert the bioactivities of daphnetin, but it is readily conjugated with glucuronic acid prior to excretion. In this study, daphnetin-7-methylether (7M-DNP) was used to investigate the effect of 7-methyl substitution on daphnetin glucuronidation in human/rat liver (HLM/RLM) and intestine (HIM/RIM) microsomes, and recombinant UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs). Compared with daphnetin, the Vmax /Km values of 7M-DNP via 8-O-glucuronidation were 2.1-fold lower in HLM, 1.7-fold lower in HIM, and 2.4-fold lower in RLM, suggesting an improvement in metabolic stability. Different from daphnetin 8-O-glucuronidation exclusively catalyzed by UGT1A6 and UGT1A9, UGT1A1, -1A3, -1A7, -1A8, and -1A9 showed glucuronidation activity toward 7M-DNP. Kinetics studies, chemical inhibition, and the relative activity factor approach were used to demonstrate that UGT1A9 was mainly responsible for the reaction in HLM, whereas UGT1A1 was a primary contributor in HIM. The Vmax /Km values of 7M-DNP glucuronidation in HLM and HIM were 0.61-0.74-fold lower than those of rat, suggesting the differences between the two species. The bioactivity analysis demonstrated that 7M-DNP had an anti-inflammatory activity comparable to that of daphnetin. These findings indicated that the outcomes of 7-methyl substitution on daphnetin might be positive, but this should be confirmed in future in vivo studies.

Identifying and applying a highly selective probe to simultaneously determine the O-glucuronidation activity of human UGT1A3 and UGT1A4.

Glucuronidation mediated by uridine 5'-diphospho (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferase is an important detoxification pathway. However, identifying a selective probe of UDP- glucuronosyltransferase is complicated because of the significant overlapping substrate specificity displayed by the enzyme. In this paper, desacetylcinobufagin (DACB) 3-O- and 16-O-glucuronidation were found to be isoform-specific probe reactions for UGT1A4 and UGT1A3, respectively. DACB was well characterized as a probe for simultaneously determining the catalytic activities of O-glucuronidation mediated by UGT1A3 and UGT1A4 from various enzyme sources, through a sensitive analysis method.

Structural modifications at the C-4 position strongly affect the glucuronidation of 6,7-dihydroxycoumarins.

Esculetin (6,7-dihydroxycoumarin) and its C-4 derivatives have multiple pharmacologic activities, but the poor metabolic stability of these catechols has severely restricted their application in the clinic. Glucuronidation plays important roles in catechols elimination, although thus far the effects of structural modifications on the metabolic selectivity and the catalytic efficacy of the human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes remain unclear. This study was aimed at exploring the structure-glucuronidation relationship of esculetin and its C-4 derivatives, including 4-methyl esculetin, 4-phenyl esculetin, and 4-hydroxymethyl esculetin as well as 4-acetic acid esculetin. It was achieved by identifying the main human UGTs responsible for the different reactions and by careful characterization of the reactions kinetics. These catechols, with the exception of 4-acetic acid esculetin, are selectively metabolized to the corresponding 7-O-glucuronides. UGT1A6 and UGT1A9 are the two major UGTs involved in the 7-O-glucuronidation of 4-methyl esculetin and esculetin. UGT1A6 was the major contributor for 7-O-glucuronidation of 4-hydroxymethyl esculetin, and UGT1A9 played a significant role in the 7-O-glucuronidation of 4-phenyl esculetin. The results of the kinetic analyses revealed that the Km values of the compounds, in both UGT1A9 and human liver microsomes, decreased with increasing hydrophobicity of the C-4 substitutions. The outcome of this was that C-4 hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups on 6,7-dihydroxycoumarin exhibited contrasting effects on UGT affinity. All of these findings provide helpful guidance for further structural modification of 6,7-dihydroxycoumarins with improved metabolic stability.

Identification and characterization of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases responsible for the glucuronidation of fraxetin.

Fraxetin, a major constituent of the traditional medicine plant Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance (Oleaceae), has been found to possess multiple bioactivities. However, the metabolic pathway(s) of fraxetin in human tissues has not been reported yet. This study aimed to characterize the glucuronidation pathway(s) of fraxetin in human tissues. Fraxetin could be metabolized to two glucuronides in human liver microsomes (HLMs). These two glucuronides were biosynthesized and characterized as 7-O-glucuronide (7-O-G) and 8-O-glucuronide (8-O-G). UGT1A1, -1A6, -1A7, -1A8, -1A9 and -1A10 participated in the formation of 7-O-G, while the formation of 8-O-G was catalyzed selectively by UGT1A6 and UGT1A9. UGT1A9 showed the highest catalytic activities in the formation of 7-O-G and 8-O-G. Both kinetic characterization and inhibition assays demonstrated that UGT1A9 played important roles in fraxetin glucuronidations in HLMs, especially in the formation of the major metabolite 8-O-G. Furthermore, the intrinsic clearance of fraxetin in both human liver microsomes and UGT1A9 was greater than that of 7,8-dihydroxylcoumarin, revealing that the addition of a C-6 methoxy group led to the higher metabolic clearance. In summary, the glucuronidation pathways of fraxetin in human liver microsomes were well-characterized, and UGT1A9 was the major isoform responsible for the glucuronidations of fraxetin.

Inhibitory effects of sanguinarine on human liver cytochrome P450 enzymes.

Sanguinarine (SAG) has been recognized as an anticancer drug candidate. However, the drug-drug interactions (DDI) potential for SAG via the inhibition against human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes remains unclear. In the present study, the inhibitory effects of SAG on seven major human CYP isoforms 1A2, 2A6, 2E1, 2D6, 2C8, 2C9 and 3A4 were investigated with human liver microsomes (HLM). The results showed that SAG was a potent noncompetitive inhibitor of CYP2C8 activity (Ki=8.9 µM), and competitive inhibitor of CYP1A2, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 activities (Ki=2.7, 3.8 and 2.0 µM, respectively). Furthermore, SAG exhibited time- and NADPH-dependent inhibition towards CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 with KI/kinact values of 13.3/0.087 and 5.58/0.029 min(-1) µM(-1), respectively. Weak inhibition of SAG against CYP2E1, CYP2D6 and CYP2A6 was also observed. In vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IV-IVE) from HLM data showed that more than 35.9% of CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 activities in vivo could be inhibited by SAG, suggesting that harmful DDIs could occur when SAG or its medical preparations are co-administered with drugs primarily cleared by these CYP isoforms. Further in vivo studies are needed to evaluate the clinical significance of the data presented herein.

The role of serum albumin in the metabolism of Boc5: molecular identification, species differences and contribution to plasma metabolism.

Boc5, the first nonpeptidic agonist of Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor, has been recognized as a potential candidate for treatment of diabetes. However, the metabolic behaviors of this novel molecule in both human and experimental animals remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the metabolic behaviors of Boc5 in biological preparations from human, pig and rat. Boc5 was found to be very stable in liver microsomes of human, pig and rat, but it can be degraded to two metabolites in plasma from all three species, via the successive hydrolysis of the C-22 esters. Chemical inhibition studies using selective esterase inhibitors and assays with purified enzymes suggested that Boc5 hydrolysis in human was totally mediated by human serum albumin (HSA) rather than esterases. ESI-TOF-MS/MS analysis revealed that Lys525 of HSA could be modified by treatment with Boc5, strongly suggesting the pseudo-esterase activity of albumin. Studies on species differences in this albumin-mediated metabolism showed large species differences in degradation rate of Boc5, the half lives of Boc5 in plasma from three various species varied from 23.5 h to 83.1h, but they were much closer to the half lives of Boc5 in corresponding serum albumins, implying the predominant role of serum albumin in plasma metabolism of Boc5. Additionally, the effects of various ligands including fatty acids and several drugs with unambiguous binding sites on HSA, on the pseudo-esterase activity of HSA, were also investigated using both experimental and molecular modelling studies. These results showed that the binding of various ligands to HSA could significantly affect the pseudo-esterase activity of HSA towards Boc5, due to the ligand-induced conformation changes of HSA.

Investigation of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) inhibitory properties of carvacrol.

UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), the most important phase II drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), could metabolize many drugs and various endogenous substances including bilirubin, steroid hormones, thyroid hormones, bile acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Evaluation of the inhibitory effects of compounds on UGTs is clinically important because inhibition of UGT isoforms could not only result in serious drug-drug interactions (DDIs), but also induce metabolic disorders of endogenous substances. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of carvacrol on major UGT isoforms. The results showed that carvacrol could inhibit the activity of UGT1A9 with negligible effects on other UGT isoforms. When 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) was used as a nonspecific probe substrate and recombinant UGT enzymes were utilized as an enzyme resource, the inhibition of UGT1A9 was best fit to the competitive type and the inhibition kinetic parameter (K(i)) was calculated to be 5.7 µM. Furthermore, another specific probe substrate, propofol, was employed to determine the inhibitory kinetics of UGT1A9, and the results demonstrated that the inhibitory type was noncompetitive. The inhibition kinetic parameter (K(i)) was determined to be 25.0 µM. Because this substrate-dependent inhibition of UGT1A9 might confuse the in vitro-in vivo extrapolation, these in vitro inhibition kinetic parameters should be interpreted with special caution.

Comparative metabolism of cinobufagin in liver microsomes from mouse, rat, dog, minipig, monkey, and human.

Cinobufagin (CB), a major bioactive component of the traditional Chinese medicine Chansu, has been reported to have potent antitumor activity. In this study, in vitro metabolism of CB among species was compared with respect to metabolic profiles, enzymes involved, and catalytic efficiency by using liver microsomes from human (HLM), mouse (MLM), rat (RLM), dog (DLM), minipig (PLM), and monkey (CyLM). Significant species differences in CB metabolism were revealed. In particular, species-specific deacetylation and epimerization combined with hydroxylation existed in RLM, whereas hydroxylation was a major pathway in HLM, MLM, DLM, PLM, and CyLM. Two monohydroxylated metabolites of CB in human and animal species were identified as 1α-hydroxylcinobufagin and 5ß-hydroxylcinobufagin by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and two-dimensional NMR techniques. CYP3A4 was identified as the main isoform involved in CB hydroxylation in HLM on the basis of the chemical inhibition studies and screen assays with recombinant human cytochrome P450s. Furthermore, ketoconazole, a specific inhibitor of CYP3A, strongly inhibited CB hydroxylation in MLM, DLM, PLM, and CyLM, indicating that CYP3A was responsible for CB hydroxylation in these animal species. The apparent substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency for 1α- and 5ß-hydroxylation of CB in liver microsomes from various species were also determined. PLM appears to have K(m) and total intrinsic clearance value (V(max)/K(m)) similar to those for HLM, and the total microsomal intrinsic clearance values for CB obeyed the following order: mouse > dog > monkey > human > minipig. These findings provide vital information to better understand the metabolic behaviors of CB among various species.

Identification of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms involved in the metabolism of corynoline, and assessment of its herb-drug interactions.

Corynoline, an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from the genus Corydalis, has been demonstrated to show multiple pharmacological effects including inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, inhibition of cell adhesion, fungitoxic and cytotoxic activity. The present study focused on its metabolism and metabolism-based herb-drug interactions. After corynoline was incubated with human liver microsomes (HLMs) in the presence of NADPH, two metabolites (M-1 and M-2) were formed. Chemical inhibition experiments and assays with recombinant CYP isoforms showed that CYP2C9 was mainly involved in the formation of M-1 and CYP3A4 mainly catalysed the production of M-2. Among seven major CYP isoforms tested, corynoline showed strong inhibitory effects on the activities of CYP3A4 and CYP2C9, with an IC(50) of 3.3 ± 0.9 µm and 31.5 ± 0.5 µm, respectively. Kinetic analysis showed that inhibition of CYP3A4 by corynoline was best fit to a noncompetitive manner with K(i) of 3.2 µm, while inhibition of CYP2C9 by corynoline was best fit to a competitive manner with K(i) of 6.3 µm. Additionally, corynoline exhibited time-dependent inhibition (TDI) toward CYP3A4. The inactivation kinetic parameters (K(I) and k(inact) ) were calculated to be 6.8 µm and 0.07 min(-1) , respectively. These data are of significance for the application of corynoline and corynoline-containing herbs.

Determination of propofol UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities in hepatic microsomes from different species by UFLC-ESI-MS.

Propofol O-glucuronidation has been used as probe reaction to phenotype UGT1A9 activity in human liver, thus a sensitive and specific method for determination of propofol O-glucuronide (PG) is urgently desirable. In the current study, a new LC-ESI-MS method for determination of PG in hepatic microsomes from human (HLM), monkey (CyLM), dog (DLM), minipig (PLM), rat (RLM) and mouse (MLM) was developed and validated using 4-methylumbelliferyl-ß-d-glucuronide as an internal standard (IS). PG and IS was separated by a Shim-pack XR-ODS column (100 mm × 2.0mm, 2.2 µm, Shimadzu) under gradient conditions with the mobile phase of acetonitrile and water containing 0.2% acetic acid (v/v). The mass spectrometric detection was performed under selected ion monitoring (SIM) for PG at m/z 353 and IS at m/z 351. The assay exhibited linearity over the range 0.05-30 µM for PG with the correlation coefficient of 0.9995. The intra- and inter-day precision was less than 7.2%, with accuracy in the range 93.8-107.5%. The developed method was successfully used for characterizing interspecies and human individual differences in the O-glucuronidation activity towards propofol, as well as investigating inhibitory effects of androsterone and phenylbutazone on propofol O-glucuronidation in HLM.

Rapid qualitative and quantitative determination of seven valuable taxanes from various Taxus species by UFLC-ESI-MS and UFLC-DAD.

The distribution and level of yew constituents vary with species and tissues. In this study, a rapid and valid method incorporating ultra-fast liquid chromatography (UFLC) with MS and UV detection was developed for simultaneous determination of paclitaxel and its six semisynthesis precursors in needles and hair roots from various Taxus species. All target analytes could be identified by comparing their retention times as well as UV and MS spectra with authentic standards, while seven valuable taxanes in botanical samples can be rapidly determined by UFLC-DAD with excellent sensitivity. Analysis of more than one hundred yew samples from nine species showed significant variations in distribution and content of seven evaluated taxanes. Thus, different developmental schemes should be used for better utilization of various yew resources.

Rapid profiling and target analysis of principal components in Fuling Decoctions by UFLC-DAD-ESI-MS.

The traditional Chinese medicine formula Fuling Decoction (FD) has been clinically used for eczema treatment, but the unclear chemical distribution and the lack of quality control have strongly restricted its application. In this study, an analytical method incorporating ultra-fast liquid chromatography (UFLC) with MS and UV detection was developed for rapid profiling of the chemical constitutes from FD. Fourteen constitutes were identified by UFLC-ESI-MS, while four major components including genipingentiobioside, geniposide, paeoniflorin and liquiritin were quantified simultaneously by UFLC-DAD. The UFLC-based method was fully validated and can be applied to screening and determination of principal components in commercially FD prescriptions.

Time-dependent inhibition (TDI) of CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 by noscapine potentially explains clinical noscapine-warfarin interaction.

AIMS: To investigate the inhibition potential and kinetic information of noscapine to seven CYP isoforms and extrapolate in vivo noscapine-warfarin interaction magnitude from in vitro data. METHODS: The activities of seven CYP isoforms (CYP3A4, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2E1, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C8) in human liver microsomes were investigated following co- or preincubation with noscapine. A two-step incubation method was used to examine in vitro time-dependent inhibition (TDI) of noscapine. Reversible and TDI prediction equations were employed to extrapolate in vivo noscapine-warfarin interaction magnitude from in vitro data. RESULTS: Among seven CYP isoforms tested, the activities of CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 were strongly inhibited with an IC(50) of 10.8 +/- 2.5 microm and 13.3 +/- 1.2 microm. Kinetic analysis showed that inhibition of CYP2C9 by noscapine was best fit to a noncompetitive type with K(i) value of 8.8 microm, while inhibition of CYP3A4 by noscapine was best fit to a competitive manner with K(i) value of 5.2 microm. Noscapine also exhibited TDI to CYP3A4 and CYP2C9. The inactivation parameters (K(I) and k(inact)) were calculated to be 9.3 microm and 0.06 min(-1) for CYP3A4 and 8.9 microm and 0.014 min(-1) for CYP2C9, respectively. The AUC of (S)-warfarin and (R)-warfarin was predicted to increase 1.5% and 1.1% using C(max) or 0.5% and 0.4% using unbound C(max) with reversible inhibition prediction equation, while the AUC of (S)-warfarin and (R)-warfarin was estimated to increase by 110.9% and 48.9% using C(max) or 41.8% and 32.7% using unbound C(max) with TDI prediction equation. CONCLUSIONS: TDI of CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 by noscapine potentially explains clinical noscapine-warfarin interaction.

Identification and characterization of human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases responsible for the in vitro glucuronidation of daphnetin.

Daphnetin has been developed as an oral medicine for treatment of coagulation disorders and rheumatoid arthritis in China, but its in vitro metabolism remains unknown. In the present study, the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) conjugation pathways of daphnetin were characterized. Two metabolites, 7-O-monoglucuronide daphnetin (M-1) and 8-O-monoglucuronide daphnetin (M-2), were identified by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and NMR when daphnetin was incubated, respectively, with liver microsomes from human (HLM), rat (RLM), and minipig (PLM) and human intestinal microsomes (HIM) in the presence of UDP-glucuronic acid. Screening assays with 12 human recombinant UGTs demonstrated that the formations of M-1 and M-2 were almost exclusively catalyzed by UGT1A9 and UGT1A6, whereas M-1 was formed to a minor extent by UGT1A3, 1A4, 1A7, 1A8, and 1A10 at a high substrate concentration. Kinetics studies, chemical inhibition, and correlation analysis were used to demonstrate that human UGT1A9 and UGT1A6 were major isoforms involved in the daphnetin glucuronidations in HLM and HIM. By in vitro-in vivo extrapolation of the kinetic data measured in HLM, the hepatic clearance and the corresponding hepatic extraction ratio were estimated to be 19.3 ml/min/kg b.wt. and 0.93, respectively, suggesting that human clearance of daphnetin via the glucuronidation is extensive. Chemical inhibition of daphnetin glucuronidation in HLM, RLM, and PLM showed large species differences although the metabolites were formed similarly among the species. In conclusion, the UGT conjugation pathways of daphnetin were fully elucidated and its C-8 phenol group was more selectively catalyzed by UGTs than by the C-7 phenol.