Yong-Long Han

In vitro inhibition of Huanglian [Rhizoma coptidis (L.)] and its six active alkaloids on six cytochrome P450 isoforms in human liver microsomes.

Huanglian (Rhizoma Coptidis) as a popular herb has been used for the treatment of various diseases such as diarrhea, eye inflammation and womens abdominal ailments. Alkaloids are considered to be responsible for its pharmacological effects. In this investigation, Huanglian and its six alkaloids (coptisine, epiberberine, berberine, jateorrhizine, palmatine and magnoflorine) were systematically evaluated for their inhibition of six cytochrome P450 isoforms (CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4) in human liver microsomes by the LC‐MS/MS method. Huanglian showed the strongest inhibition of CYP2D6, followed by CYP1A2 and CYP3A4_T. The IC50 values were 5.8 µg/mL, 36.8 µg/mL and 59.2 µg/mL, respectively. Of the constituents tested, coptisine and epiberberine showed strong inhibition of CYP2D6 with IC50 values of 4.4 µm and 7.7 µm; berberine, jateorrhizine and palmatine showed weak inhibition of CYP2D6 with IC50 values of 45.5 µm, 49.4 µm and 92.6 µm, respectively; jateorrhizine showed moderate inhibition of CYP3A4_T with an IC50 value of 13.3 µm; coptisine showed weak inhibition of CYP1A2 with an IC50 value of 37.3 µm. In addition, activation was observed in coptisine/CYP2C9 and palmatine/CYP2C9/CYP2C19. Other CYP450 isoforms were not affected markedly by the six alkaloids. In conclusion, Huanglian showed in vitro inhibition of CYP2D6, the inhibition might be contributed mostly by protoberberine alkaloids, especially coptisine and epiberberine. Herb–drug interactions may occur through the CYP2D6 inhibition. Copyright

Effect of Regular Organic Solvents on Cytochrome P450-Mediated Metabolic Activities in Rat Liver Microsomes

The effects of regular organic solvents on the metabolic activities of various human cytochromes P450 (P450s) have been reported. However, very little is known about their influence on metabolic activities mediated by P450s in the rat liver microsomes (RLM). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of organic solvents such as methanol, acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetone, and ethanol on CYP1A, CYP2C, CYP2D, CYP2E, and CYP3A-mediated metabolism using RLM. The results showed that the activities of most rat P450 enzymes appeared to be organic solvent-dependent, and the metabolism of the tested probes were remarkably reduced when the concentration of organic solvents was up to 5% v/v, whereas most organic solvents demonstrated no significant interference when the concentration was below 1%, with the exception of DMSO. In addition, organic solvents exhibited different inhibitory effects, for example, CYP2D and CYP2E showed a significant reduction of activities at lower concentrations of organic solvents. Hence, this phenomenon should be taken into consideration when designing in vitro metabolism studies of new chemical entities. Therefore, we recommend acetonitrile as the most suitable solvent for RLM incubations, and the content of organic solvent should be kept lower than 1% v/v.

Evaluation of impact of Herba Erigerontis injection, a Chinese herbal prescription, on rat hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes by cocktail probe drugs

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Herba Erigerontis injection (HEI), one of the most popular herbal prescription in China, is made from the aqueous extracts of Erigeron breviscapus whole plant. Now HEI is widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and cerebrovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, anginapectoris and paralysis. AIM OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo effect of HEI on rat cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP1A2, CYP2C11, CYP2D4, CYP2E1 and CYP3A2) to assess its safety through its potential to interact with co-administered drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats were randomly divided into five groups. Rats were intravenous administrated with HEI via the caudal vein at the dosage of 1.8ml/kg or 7.2ml/kg once daily for consecutive 3 days or 14 days. On the fourth or the fifteenth day, a cocktail solution at a dose of 5ml/kg, which contained caffeine (2.5mg/kg), tolbutamide (2.5mg/kg), chlorzoxazone (5mg/kg), midazolam (5mg/kg) and metoprolol (10mg/kg), was injected via the lingual vein to all rats. Then 0.8ml blood samples were collected at a set of time-points. The plasma concentrations of probe drugs were simultaneously determined by HPLC. Pharmacokinetic parameters simulated by DAS software were used for the evaluation of HEI on the activities of rat CYP1A2, CYP2C11, CYP2D4, CYP2E1 and CYP3A2 enzymes. ANOVA and Dunnetts test was used for data analysis. RESULTS There were no significant influence of pharmacokinetic parameters of caffeine, tolbutamide and chlorzoxazone in HEI pretreated rats. But many pharmacokinetic parameters of metoprolol and midazolam in HEI pretreated rats were affected significantly (P<0.05), which indicated that metabolism of metoprolol and midazolam in these treatment groups was evidently slowed down. CONCLUSIONS The results from the present in vivo study suggested that HEI showed no effects on rat CYP1A2, CYP2C11 and CYP2E1, however, it demonstrated potential inhibitory effects on rat CYP2D4 and CYP3A2. Therefore, caution is needed when HEI is co-administered with drugs metabolized by human CYP2D6 or CYP3A4 in clinic, which may result in increased concentrations of these drugs and relevant herb-drug interactions.

Inhibitory effects of limonin on six human cytochrome P450 enzymes and P-glycoprotein in vitro.

Among the various possible causes for drug interactions, pharmacokinetic factors such as inhibition of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters, especially cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoenzymes and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), are regarded as the most frequent and clinically important. Limonin is a widely used dietary supplement and one of the most prevalent citrus limonoids, which are known to have inhibitory effects on CYPs and P-gp. In this study, the in vitro inhibitory effects of limonin on the major human CYP isoenzymes (CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) activities in human liver microsomes were examined using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The inhibitory effects of limonin on P-gp activity in a human metastatic malignant melanoma cell line WM-266-4 were examined using a calcein-AM fluorometry screening assay. It demonstrates that limonin has negligible inhibitory effects on human CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and P-gp. However, potent inhibition of CYP3A4 by limonin is observed with IC50 values of 6.20 μM (CYP3A4/testosterone) and 19.10 μM (CYP3A4/midazolam). This finding has important implications with regard to food-drug interactions between limonin and several narrow therapeutic index drugs that are metabolized by CYP3A4.

Nilotinib reverses ABCB1/P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance but increases cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin in a MDR xenograft model.

The BCR-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), nilotinib, was developed to surmount resistance or intolerance to imatinib in patients with Philadelphia-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia. Recent studies have shown that nilotinib induces potent sensitization to anticancer agents by blocking the functions of ABCB1/P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in multidrug resistance (MDR). However, changes in P-gp expression or function affect the cardiac disposition and prolong the presence of both doxorubicin (DOX) and doxorubicinol (DOXol) in cardiac tissue, thus, enhancing the risk of cardiotoxicity. In this study, we used a MDR xenograft model to evaluate the antitumor activity, tissue distribution and cardiotoxicity of DOX when co-administered with nilotinib. This information will provide more insight into the pharmacological role of nilotinib in MDR reversal and the risk of DOX cardiotoxicity. Our results showed that nilotinib significantly enhanced DOX cytotoxicity and increased intracellular rhodamine 123 accumulation in MG63/DOX cells in vitro and strongly enhanced DOX inhibition of growth of P-gp-overexpressing MG63/DOX cell xenografts in nude mice. Additionally, nilotinib significantly increased DOX and DOXol accumulation in serum, heart, liver and tumor tissues. Importantly, nilotinib induced a disproportionate increase in DOXol in cardiac tissue. In the co-administration group, CBR1 and AKR1A1 protein levels were significantly increased in cardiac tissue, with more severe necrosis and vacuole formation. These results indicate that nilotinib reverses P-gp- mediated MDR by blocking the efflux function and potentiates DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. These findings represent a guide for the design of future clinical trials and studies of pharmacokinetic interactions and may be useful in guiding the use of nilotinib in combination therapy of cancer in clinical practice.

Pim-2 Modulates Aerobic Glycolysis and Energy Production during the Development of Colorectal Tumors.

Tumor cells have higher rates of glucose uptake and aerobic glycolysis to meet energy demands for proliferation and metastasis. The characteristics of increased glucose uptake, accompanied with aerobic glycolysis, has been exploited for the diagnosis of cancers. Although much progress has been made, the mechanisms regulating tumor aerobic glycolysis and energy production are still not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that Pim-2 is required for glycolysis and energy production in colorectal tumor cells. Our results show that Pim-2 is highly expressed in colorectal tumor cells, and may be induced by nutrient stimulation. Activation of Pim-2 in colorectal cells led to increase glucose utilization and aerobic glycolysis, as well as energy production. While knockdown of Pim-2 decreased energy production in colorectal tumor cells and increased their susceptibility to apoptosis. Moreover, the effects of Pim-2 kinase on aerobic glycolysis seem to be partly dependent on mTORC1 signaling, because inhibition of mTORC1 activity reversed the aerobic glycolysis mediated by Pim-2. Our findings suggest that Pim-2-mediated aerobic glycolysis is critical for monitoring Warburg effect in colorectal tumor cells, highlighting Pim-2 as a potential metabolic target for colorectal tumor therapy.

In Vitro Inhibitory Effects of Scutellarin on Six Human/Rat Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and P-glycoprotein

Inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) are regarded as the most frequent and clinically important pharmacokinetic causes among the various possible factors for drug-drug interactions. Scutellarin is a flavonoid which is widely used for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, the in vitro inhibitory effects of scutellarin on six major human CYPs (CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) and six rat CYPs (CYP1A2, CYP2C7, CYP2C11, CYP2C79, CYP2D4, and CYP3A2) activities were examined by using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, the inhibitory effects of scutellarin on P-gp activity were examined on a human metastatic malignant melanoma cell line WM-266-4 by calcein-AM fluorometry screening assay. Results demonstrated that scutellarin showed negligible inhibitory effects on the six major CYP isoenzymes in human/rat liver microsomes with almost all of the IC50 values exceeding 100 μM, whereas it showed values of 63.8 μM for CYP2C19 in human liver microsomes, and 63.1 and 85.6 μM for CYP2C7 and CYP2C79 in rat liver microsomes, respectively. Scutellarin also showed weak inhibitory effect on P-gp. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that scutellarin is unlikely to cause any clinically significant herb-drug interactions in humans when co-administered with substrates of the six CYPs (CYP1A2, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) and P-gp.

Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics and cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin in rat receiving nilotinib.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent chemotherapy drug with a narrow therapeutic window. Nilotinib, a small-molecule Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor, was reported to reverse multidrug resistance (MDR) mediated by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) transmembrane transporters. The present study aimed to investigate nilotinibs affection on the steady-state pharmacokinetics, disposition and cardiotoxicity of DOX. A total of 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into four groups (6 in each) and received the following regimens: saline, intravenous DOX (5mg/kg) alone, and DOX co-administrated with either 20 or 40mg/kg nilotinib. Blood was withdrawn at 12 time points till 72h after DOX injection and the concentrations of DOX and its metabolite doxorubicinol (DOXol) in serum and cardiac tissue were assayed by LC-MS-MS method. To determine the cardiotoxicity, the following parameters were investigated: creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase. Histopathological examination of heart section was carried out to evaluate the extent of cardiotoxicity after treatments. The results showed that pretreatment of 40mg/kg nilotinib increased the AUC0-t and Cmax of DOX and DOXol. However, their accumulation in cardiac tissue was significantly decreased when compared with the group that received DOX alone. In addition, biochemical and histopathological results showed that 40mg/kg nilotinib reduced the cardiotoxicity induced by DOX administration. In conclusion, co-administration of nilotinib increased serum exposure, but significantly decreased the accumulation of DOX in cardiac tissue. Consistent with in vitro profile, oral dose of 40mg/kg nilotinib significantly decreased the cardiotoxicity of DOX in rat by enhancing P-gp activity in the heart.

Serum and urine metabolomics study reveals a distinct diagnostic model for cancer cachexia

Cachexia is a multifactorial metabolic syndrome with high morbidity and mortality in patients with advanced cancer. The diagnosis of cancer cachexia depends on objective measures of clinical symptoms and a history of weight loss, which lag behind disease progression and have limited utility for the early diagnosis of cancer cachexia. In this study, we performed a nuclear magnetic resonance‐based metabolomics analysis to reveal the metabolic profile of cancer cachexia and establish a diagnostic model.

ABCB1-overexpressing MG63/DOX cell xenograft model: maintain the MDR phenotype in vivo.

Abstract Context: Multi-drug resistance (MDR) constitutes a major obstacle in the effectiveness of chemotherapy. P-Glycoprotein (P-gp), the product of ABCB1 gene, is a transmembrane transporter that actively pumps cytotoxic drugs out of tumor cells resulting in MDR. Objective: We sought to establish an MG63/DOX cell xenografts model that maintained the MDR phenotype and molecular properties in vivo in order to screen for new P-gp inhibitors. Materials and methods: The cytotoxicities of doxorubicin, paclitaxel and cytarabine were evaluated by MTT assays. P-gp activity was measured by rhodamine 123 accumulation using flow cytometry. P-gp expression in MG63/DOX cells and tumor tissues was detected by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results: Our results showed that MG63/DOX cells exhibited 70-fold resistance to doxorubicin and more than 150-fold resistance to paclitaxel compared with parent MG63 cells. Furthermore, the ABCB1 inhibitor verapamil (10 μM) effectively reversed doxorubicin and paclitaxel resistance by 90- and 200-fold, respectively. The intracellular accumulation of rhodamine 123 was significantly increased (8.35-fold) in MG63/DOX cell, as compared to MG63 cells, in the presence of 10 μM verapamil. MG63/DOX tumor chunk xenografts had a high formation rate (88%). Finally, we found that the ABCB1 gene was overexpressed in different generations of solid tumors. Discussion and conclusion: These data demonstrated that MG63/DOX tumor chunk subculture in vivo retained their molecular properties. This model could serve as a convenient system for the preclinical investigation of drug combinations and the screening of new agents to reverse ABCB1-mediated MDR.