Characterization of 15 CYP2J2 variants identified in the Chinese Han population on the metabolism of ebastine and terfenadine in vitro.

Genetic polymorphism of the cytochrome P450 (CYP) gene can significantly influence the metabolism of endogenous and xenobiotic compounds. However, few studies have focused on the polymorphism of CYP2J2 and its impact on drug catalytic activity, especially in the Chinese Han population. In this study, we sequenced the promoter and exon regions of CYP2J2 in 1,163 unrelated healthy Chinese Han individuals using the multiplex PCR amplicon sequencing method. Then, the catalytic activities of the detected CYP2J2 variants were evaluated after recombinant expression in S. cerevisiae microsomes. As a result, CYP2J2*7, CYP2J2*8, 13 variations in the promoter region and 15 CYP2J2 nonsynonymous variants were detected, of which V15A, G24R, V68A, L166F and A391T were novel missense variations. Immunoblotting results showed that 11 of 15 CYP2J2 variants exhibited lower protein expression than wild-type CYP2J2.1. In vitro functional analysis results revealed that the amino acid changes of 14 variants could significantly influence the drug metabolic activity of CYP2J2 toward ebastine or terfenadine. Specifically, 4 variants with relatively higher allele frequencies, CYP2J2.8, 173_173del, K267fs and R446W, exhibited extremely low protein expression and defective catalytic activities for both substrates. Our results indicated that a high genetic polymorphism of CYP2J2 could be detected in the Chinese Han population, and most genetic variations in CYP2J2 could influence the expression and catalytic activity of CYP2J2. Our data significantly enrich the knowledge of genetic polymorphisms in CYP2J2 and provide new theoretical information for corresponding individualized medication in Chinese and other Asian populations.

Assessments of CYP­inhibition­based drug-drug interaction between vonoprazan and poziotinib in vitro and in vivo.

CONTEXT: Poziotinib and vonoprazan are two drugs mainly metabolized by CYP3A4. However, the drug-drug interaction between them is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To study the interaction mechanism and pharmacokinetics of poziotinib on vonoprazan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vitro experiments were performed with rat liver microsomes (RLMs) and the contents of vonoprazan and its metabolite were then determined with UPLC-MS/MS after incubation of RLMs with vonoprazan and gradient concentrations of poziotinib. For the in vivo experiment, rats in the poziotinib treated group were given 5 mg/kg poziotinib by gavage once daily for 7 days, and the control group was only given 0.5% CMC-Na. On Day 8, tail venous blood was collected at different time points after the gavage administration of 10 mg/kg vonoprazan, and used for the quantification of vonoprazan and its metabolite. DAS and SPSS software were used for the pharmacokinetic and statistical analyses. RESULTS: In vitro experimental data indicated that poziotinib inhibited the metabolism of vonoprazan (IC50 = 10.6 µM) in a mixed model of noncompetitive and uncompetitive inhibition. The inhibitory constant Ki was 0.574 µM and the binding constant αKi was 2.77 µM. In vivo experiments revealed that the AUC(0-T) (15.05 vs. 90.95 µg/mL·h) and AUC(0-∞) (15.05 vs. 91.99 µg/mL·h) of vonoprazan increased significantly with poziotinib pretreatment. The MRT(0-∞) of vonoprazan increased from 2.29 to 5.51 h, while the CLz/F value decreased from 162.67 to 25.84 L/kg·h after pretreatment with poziotinib. CONCLUSIONS: Poziotinib could significantly inhibit the metabolism of vonoprazan and more care may be taken when co-administered in the clinic.

Identification and drug metabolic characterization of four new CYP2C9 variants CYP2C9*72-*75 in the Chinese Han population.

Cytochrome 2C9 (CYP2C9), one of the most important drug metabolic enzymes in the human hepatic P450 superfamily, is required for the metabolism of 15% of clinical drugs. Similar to other CYP2C family members, CYP2C9 gene has a high genetic polymorphism which can cause significant racial and inter-individual differences in drug metabolic activity. To better understand the genetic distribution pattern of CYP2C9 in the Chinese Han population, 931 individuals were recruited and used for the genotyping in this study. As a result, seven synonymous and 14 non-synonymous variations were identified, of which 4 missense variants were designated as new alleles CYP2C9*72, *73, *74 and *75, resulting in the amino acid substitutions of A149V, R150C, Q214H and N418T, respectively. When expressed in insect cell microsomes, all four variants exhibited comparable protein expression levels to that of the wild-type CYP2C9 enzyme. However, drug metabolic activity analysis revealed that these variants exhibited significantly decreased catalytic activities toward three CYP2C9 specific probe drugs, as compared with that of the wild-type enzyme. These data indicate that the amino acid substitution in newly designated variants can cause reduced function of the enzyme and its clinical significance still needs further investigation in the future.

Effects of Simvastatin on the Metabolism of Vonoprazan in Rats Both in vitro and in vivo.

Purpose: To study the potential drug-drug interactions between simvastatin and vonoprazan and to provide the scientific basis for rational use of them in clinical practice. Methods: An incubation system was established with rat liver microsomes, and the main metabolite of vonoprazan M-I was detected by UPLC-MS/MS. The IC50 value of simvastatin was then calculated and its inhibitory mechanism against vonoprazan was also analyzed. Twelve SD rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, then they were given simvastatin or saline for 2 weeks continuously. On the day of the experiment, both groups were intragastrically administered with vonoprazan once, followed by the collection of blood at different time points. Then the plasma concentration of vonoprazan and M-I in rats were detected by UPLC-MS/MS. Results: In vitro experiments revealed that simvastatin could inhibit the metabolism of vonoprazan, and its inhibition type belonged to the mixed non-competitive and competitive inhibition model. In vivo experiments in rats demonstrated that the area under concentration time curve (AUC) of vonoprazan was decreased but the clearance (CLz/F) of it was increased in the simvastatin administrated group, as compared to those of the control group. However, M-I in simvastatin treated group exhibited the higher AUC and lower CLz/F values compared to those in the control group. These data indicated that multiple doses of simvastatin administration could reduce the plasma concentration of vonoprazan and accelerate its metabolic rate in rats. Conclusion: Simvastatin could inhibit the metabolism of vonoprazan in vitro but multiple doses of simvastatin exhibited the opposite effect In vivo. Altogether, our data indicated that an interaction existed between simvastatin and vonoprazan and additional cares might be taken when they were co-administrated in clinic.

Functional characterization of the defective CYP2C9 variant CYP2C9*18.

Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) is one of the most important drugs metabolizing enzymes and accounts for the metabolism of about 13%-17% of clinical drugs. Like other members in CYP2 family, CYP2C9 gene exhibits great genetic polymorphism among different races and individuals. CYP2C9*18 is one CYP2C9 allelic variant identified in a Southeast Asian population and is estimated to cause the amino acid substitutions of I359L and D397A in CYP2C9 enzyme simultaneously. Limited by the low expression level in bacteria and COS-7 cells, no valuable enzyme kinetics have been reported on this CYP2C9 variant. In this study, the baculovirus-based system was used for the high expression of recombinant CYP2C9 s in insect cells. As a result, together with I359L substitution, D397A could significantly decrease the protein expression of CYP2C9.18 in insect cells, although substitution of D397A alone had no effect on the expression of CYP2C9 in vitro. As compared with that of wild-type enzyme, both CYP2C9.18 variant and D397A variant could decrease more than 80% of the catalytic activity of CYP2C9 enzyme toward three probe substrates, suggesting that caution should be exercised when patients carrying CYP2C9*18 taking medicines metabolized by CYP2C9 enzyme with a narrow therapeutic window.

Collective Total Synthesis of Aspidofractinine Alkaloids through the Development of a Bischler-Napieralski/Semipinacol Rearrangement Reaction.

A tandem Bischler-Napieralski/semipinacol rearrangement reaction has been developed for the purpose of assembling a bis(spirocyclic) indole framework, a privileged structural unit of aspidofractinine-type monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, and was used in combination with a subsequent Mannich reaction to expeditiously construct the central bridged bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane ring system of these molecules with contiguous quaternary centers. The development of this novel strategy culminated in the collective total synthesis of four aspidofractinine alkaloids.

An identification and functional evaluation of a novel CYP2C9 variant CYP2C9*62.

Warfarin is the most commonly used anticoagulant in the clinical treatment of thromboembolic diseases. The dose of warfarin varies significantly within populations, and the dose is closely related to the genetic polymorphisms of the CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genes. In this study, a new CYP2C9 nonsynonymous mutation (8576C > T) was detected after the genetic screening of 162 patients took warfarin. This mutation, named as the new allele CYP2C9*62, can result in an arginine to cysteine amino acid substitution at position 125 of the CYP2C9 protein (R125C). When expressed in insect cells, the protein expression of CYP2C9.62 was significantly lower than that of the wild-type, and its metabolic activity was also significantly decreased after the addition of three typical CYP2C9 probe drugs, suggesting that the new mutant can dramatically affect the metabolism of CYP2C9 drugs in vitro.

Silibinin affects the pharmacokinetics of methadone in rats.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic effect of silibinin on methadone in rats. Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, single dose of 100 mg/kg group, multiple doses of 100 mg/kg group, and multiple doses of 30 mg/kg group. A single dose of 6 mg/kg methadone was administrated to rats orally without or with silibinin. Plasma samples were collected via tail vein at different time points and concentrations of methadone and its metabolite, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP), were determined by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Compared with the control group (without silibinin), both 30 and 100 mg/kg silibinin significantly increased the Cmax of methadone, but only 100 mg/kg silibinin significantly increased the AUC(0-t) of methadone and decreased its clearance. Pharmacokinetics parameters of EDDP were not altered by 30 mg/kg silibinin; its Tmax was decreased by 100 mg/kg silibinin and the Cmax was increased by single dose of 100 mg/kg silibinin. It is concluded that silibinin significantly altered the pharmacokinetics of methadone in rats by increasing the exposure of methadone. Further investigations in human should be conducted. Therapeutic drug monitoring of methadone in individuals undergoing methadone maintenance therapy is recommended when silibinin is concomitant.

Effects of 22 CYP2D6 Genetic Variations Newly Identified in Chinese Population on Olanzapine Metabolism in vitro.

The objective of this study was to assess the catalytic activity of 22 novel CYP2D6 allelic variants (2D6*87-*98, R25Q, F164L, E215K, F219S, V327M, D336N, V342M, R344Q, R440C and R497C) to olanzapine in vitro. Their protein products expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda 21 (Sf21) insect cells were incubated with olanzapine 100-2,000 µmol/l for 30 min. The kinetic parameters of Km, Vmax and intrinsic clearance were determined by 2-hydroxymethylolanzapine, the metabolite of olanzapine mediated by CYP2D6, using ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Results showed that the kinetic parameters of 2 alleles, CYP2D6*92 and 2D6*96, could not be detected; 17 allelic variants, CYP2D6*87-*88, 2D6*90-*91, 2D6*93-*95, 2D6*97, R25Q, F164L, E215K, F219S, V327M, V342M, R344Q, R440C and R497C, significantly reduced the intrinsic clearance of olanzapine; 2 variants, CYP2D6*89 and 2D6*98, increased the intrinsic clearance of olanzapine; no difference was found in intrinsic clearance of D336N. Furthermore, 6 alleles, CYP2D6*87, 2D6*88, 2D6*91, 2D6*93, 2D6*97 and R497C, exhibited higher Km values in a range of 120.80-217.56% relative to wild-type CYP2D6*1. The research demonstrated the metabolic phenotype of the 22 novel CYP2D6 variants for olanzapine that were different from probe drugs we used previously and might provide beneficial information to the personalized medicine of olanzapine.

Total Syntheses of the Tetracyclic Cyclopiane Diterpenes Conidiogenone, Conidiogenol, and Conidiogenone†B.

Total syntheses of the biologically important and structurally unique tetracyclic diterpenes conidiogenone, conidiogenol, and conidiogenone B of the cyclopiane class are reported. The absolute configuration of naturally occurring conidiogenone B was also corrected. The key step of our strategy involved the highly efficient construction of both ring C and the quaternary carbon center shared by rings A and C through a one-step regioselective and diastereoselective cycloenlargement in the form of a semipinacol-type rearrangement. In particular, the desired regioselectivity was made possible by properly adjusting the migratory aptitude of the migrating carbon atom through the introduction of an electron-donating phenylthio group at this position.

Effects of 22 Novel CYP2D6 Variants Found in the Chinese Population on the Bufuralol and Dextromethorphan Metabolisms In Vitro.

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is a highly polymorphic enzyme that metabolizes a large number of therapeutic drugs. To date, more than 100 CYP2D6 allelic variants have been reported. Among these variants, we recently identified 22 novel variants in the Chinese population. The aim of this study was to functionally characterize the enzymatic activity of these variants in vitro. A baculovirus-mediated expression system was used to express wild-type CYP2D6.1 and other variants (CYP2D6.2, CYP2D6.10 and 22 novel CYP2D6 variants) at high levels. Then, the insect microsomes containing expressed CYP2D6 proteins were incubated with bufuralol or dextromethorphan at 37°C for 20 or 25 min., respectively. After termination, the metabolites were extracted and used for the detection with high-performance liquid chromatography. Among the 24 CYP2D6 variants tested, two variants (CYP2D6.92 and CYP2D6.96) were found to be catalytically inactive. The remaining 22 variants exhibited significantly decreased intrinsic clearance values for bufuralol 1'-hydroxylation and 20 variants showed significantly lower intrinsic clearance values for dextromethorphan O-demethylation than those of the wild-type CYP2D6.1. Our in vitro results suggest that most of the variants exhibit significantly reduced catalytic activities compared with the wild-type, and these data provide valuable information for personalized medicine in Chinese and other Asian populations.

Identification and characterization of a novel CYP2C9 allelic variant in a warfarin-sensitive patient.

AIM: To determine the genetic basis of the low warfarin dose requirement in a Chinese patient. MATERIALS & METHODS: Bi-directional sequencing of CYP2C9, VKORC1 and CYP4F2 genes was performed. CYP2C9 variants were highly expressed in yeast and insect-cell microsomes. Three typical CYP2C9 probe drugs were used to evaluate the catalytic activity. RESULTS: A novel missense mutation (1400 T>C) was identified in CYP2C9 and had been named as new allele *60. When expressed in yeast and insect cells, compared with wild-type enzyme, variant CYP2C9.60 exhibited lower protein expression capacity and showed significantly decreased metabolic activities for the hydroxylation of S-warfarin, tolbutamide and diclofenac. CONCLUSION: The novel mutation can greatly decrease the enzymatic activity of the CYP2C9 enzyme both in vitro and in vivo.

In vitro functional analysis of 24 novel CYP2C19 variants recently found in the Chinese Han population.

1. CYP2C19 is a highly polymorphic enzyme responsible for the metabolism of a wide range of clinical drugs. Alterations to the CYP2C19 gene contribute to the variability of CYP2C19 enzyme activity, which causes pharmacokinetics and drug efficacies to vary and adverse drug reactions to occur in different persons. Recently, we identified 24 novel CYP2C19 allelic variants in the Chinese Han population. The purpose of present study is to assess the impact of these newly found nucleotide mutations on the enzymatic activity of the CYP2C19 protein. 2. Dual-expression vectors were constructed and transiently transfected into 293FT cells. Forty-eight hours after transfection, cells were re-suspended and incubated with two typical probe substrates, omeprazole and S-mephenytoin, to determine the activities of each variant relative to the wild-type protein. 3. Immunoblotting results showed that the protein expression levels of the CYP2C19 variants were diverse. Enzymatic ability analysis showed that the variant 35FS exhibited no functional activity, and most of the other variants showed significantly decreased metabolic activities toward both omeprazole and S-mephenytoin compared with wild-type. 4. These findings greatly enrich the knowledge of biological effects of these newly found CYP2C19 mutations and aid the application of this knowledge to future individualized drug therapy in clinic.

Organocatalytic Asymmetric Tandem Nazarov Cyclization/Semipinacol Rearrangement: Rapid Construction of Chiral Spiro[4.4]nonane-1,6-diones.

A novel organocatalytic asymmetric tandem Nazarov cyclization/semipinacol rearrangement reaction using "unactivated" substrates has been developed, generating a series of chiral spiro[4.4]nonane-1,6-diones in up to 96% yield and 97% enantiomeric excess. Significantly, it is the first direct example for asymmetric synthesis of cyclopentanones with four stereocenters using Nazarov cyclization. DFT calculations have been applied to understand the reaction mechanism, stereochemistry, and substituent effects.

Identification and Functional Assessment of a New CYP2C9 Allelic Variant CYP2C9*59.

CYP2C9, one of the most important drug-metabolizing enzymes, is responsible for metabolizing approximately 15% of clinically important drugs, including warfarin, diclofenac, and losartan. Similar to other CYP members, human CYP2C9 exhibits marked genetic polymorphisms among individuals of different ethnicities. In this study, a novel missense mutation (1300A>T) was identified in a warfarin-sensitive patient after a genetic screen of three candidate genes related to high variability in response to warfarin doses. This base transversion leads to an Ile-to-Phe amino acid substitution at codon 434 within the CYP2C9 protein, and this new variant has been named a novel allele, CYP2C9*59, by the Human CYP Allele Nomenclature Committee (http://www.cypalleles.ki.se/cyp2c9.htm). The exogenous expression of CYP2C9.59 in insect cell microsomes revealed that, despite a similar protein expression level as wild-type CYP2C9, variant CYP2C9.59 exhibited significantly reduced maximal velocity, Vmax, and/or increased Michaelis constant, Km, values toward three CYP2C9-specific substrates. Our data suggest that the 1300A>T mutation can greatly decrease the enzymatic activity of the CYP2C9 protein both in vitro and in vivo.

In vitro and in vivo drug-drug interaction of losartan and glimepiride in rats and its possible mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Losartan and glimepiride are commonly used drugs to treat chronic diseases of hypertension and diabetes; they are both substrates of CYP2C9. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible interaction of losartan and glimepiride both in vitro (rat liver microsomes) and in vivo (healthy Sprague-Dawley rats). METHODS: In rat liver microsomes, 1-10 µmol/l losartan and glimepiride were coincubated, and the inhibitory effect was analyzed. In the subsequent pharmacokinetic study, 15 healthy Sprague-Dawley rats received administrations of 5 mg/kg losartan or 1 mg/kg glimepiride or a coadministration. RESULTS: In the rat liver microsome system, glimepiride showed a slight inhibition of losartan at concentrations of 1-10 µmol/l, whereas losartan exhibited no inhibitory effect on glimepiride. In vivo, glimepiride did not modify the plasma concentration of losartan and its metabolite E-3174. The alteration of an increased AUC and Cmax was observed in the pharmacokinetic parameters of glimepiride and hydroxy glimepiride. CONCLUSIONS: Glimepiride did not affect losartan pharmacokinetics in rats, while losartan potently altered glimepiride metabolism; this result was inconsistent with the in vitro outcome. The mechanism requires further investigation. In clinical settings, attention should be paid to the interaction of these two drugs in the human body as well as the possible adverse reactions of glimepiride.

In vitro and in vivo characterization of 13 CYP2C9 allelic variants found in Chinese Han population.

Our previous study detected totally 35 CYP2C9 allelic variants in 2127 Chinese subjects, of whom 21 novel alleles were reported for the first time in Chinese populations. The aim of the present study was to characterize the 13 CYP2C9 allelic variants both in vitro and in vivo. Different types of CYP2C9 variants were highly expressed in COS-7 cells, and 50 µM tolbutamide was added as the probing substrate to evaluate their metabolic abilities in vitro. Subsequently, the concentrations of tolbutamide and its metabolite in the plasma and urine within individuals with different types of genotypes were determined by HPLC to evaluate the catalytic activity of the 13 mutant CYP2C9 proteins in vivo. Our results showed that compared with *1/*1 wild-type subjects, subjects with *1/*40 genotype showed increased oral clearance (CL/F), whereas individuals with *1/*3, *1/*13, *3/*3, *3/*13, *1/*16, *1/*19, *1/*34, *1/*42, *1/*45, *1/*46, and *1/*48 genotype exhibited significantly decreased CL/F, and those with *1/*27, *1/*29, *1/*40, and *1/*41 genotype presented similar CL/F value. When expressed in COS-7 cells, the CYP2C9 variants showed similar pattern to the results in clinical study. The study suggests that, besides two typical defective alleles, *3 and *13, seven CYP2C9 allelic variants (*16, *19, *34, *42, *45, *46, and *48) cause defective effects on the enzymatic activities both in vitro and in vivo. In clinic, patients with these defective alleles should be paid close attention to.

In vitro functional assessment of 22 newly identified CYP2D6 allelic variants in the Chinese population.

Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is one of the most widely investigated CYPs related to genetic polymorphisms and is responsible for one-quarter of the currently used clinical drugs. We previously detected 22 novel, non-synonymous, mutated sites in the Chinese population, but nothing is known about the functional effects of these mutations in terms of specific CYP2D6 substrates. In this study, wild-type CYP2D6, two common allelic variants and 22 newly reported CYP2D6 isoforms were transiently expressed in 293FT cells, and the enzymatic activities of these variants were systematically assessed using dextromethorphan and bufuralol as the probing substrates. Consequently, 19 and 21 allelic variants were found to exhibit significantly decreased enzymatic activities for dextromethorphan and bufuralol, respectively. Of 22 novel CYP2D6 variants, six allelic isoforms (CYP2D6.89, CYP2D6.92, CYP2D6.93, CYP2D6.96, E215K and R440C) exhibited absent or extremely reduced metabolic activities compared with those observed for the wild-type enzyme. Our in vitro functional data can be useful for CYP2D6 phenotype prediction and provide valuable information for the study of clinical impact of these newly found CYP2D6 variants in China.

Characterization of a novel CYP2C9 mutation (1009C>A) detected in a warfarin-sensitive patient.

Warfarin is the most frequently prescribed anticoagulant for the long-term treatment in the clinic. Recent studies have shown that polymorphic alleles within the CYP2C9, VKORC1, and CYP4F2 genes are related to the warfarin dosage requirement. In this study, a novel non-synonymous mutation (1009C>A) in CYP2C9 was detected in a warfarin-hypersensitive patient, while the other two candidate genes were both found to be homozygous for the wild-type alleles. The newly identified point mutation results in an amino acid substitution at position 337 of the CYP2C9 protein (P337T) and has been designated as the novel allele CYP2C9*58. When expressed in insect cell microsomes, the relative intrinsic clearance values of the CYP2C9.58 variant for tolbutamide and losartan were quite similar to those of the typical defective variant CYP2C9.3, whereas the clearance value of CYP2C9.58 for diclofenac was slightly higher than that of another typical defective variant CYP2C9.2. These data suggested that when compared with wild-type CYP2C9.1, the enzymatic activity of the novel allelic variant has been greatly reduced by the 1009C>A mutation. If patients carrying this allele take drugs metabolized by CYP2C9, their metabolic rate might be slower than that of wild-type allele carriers and thus much more attention should be paid to their clinical care.

Effect of 36 CYP2C9 variants found in the Chinese population on losartan metabolism in vitro.

Abstract 1. CYP2C9 is an important member of the cytochrome P450 enzyme superfamily, with 57 CYP2C9 allelic variants being previously reported. Among these variants, we recently identified 21 novel alleles (*36-*56) in the Han Chinese population. The aim of this study was to assess the catalytic activities of 36 CYP2C9 variants found in the Chinese population toward losartan in vitro. 2. Insect microsomes expressing the 36 CYP2C9 variants were incubated with 0.5-25 µM losartan for 30 min at 37 °C. Next, the products were extracted, and signal detection was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. 3. Compared with wild-type CYP2C9.1, the intrinsic clearance (Vmax/Km) values of all variants except for CYP2C9.56 were significantly altered. One variant exhibited markedly increased values (>250%), whereas 33 variants exhibited significantly decreased values (from 20 to 96%) due to increased Km and/or decreased Vmax values. 4. These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to subjects carrying these infrequent CYP2C9 alleles when administering losartan in the clinic.