The Inhibition of UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) Isoforms by Praeruptorin A and B

Identification of Bromophenols' glucuronidation and its induction on UDP- glucuronosyltransferases isoforms

Bromophenols (BPs) are prominent environmental pollutants extensively utilized in aquaculture, pharmaceuticals, and chemical manufacturing. This study aims to identify UDP- glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) isoforms involved in the metabolic elimination of BPs. Mono-glucuronides of BPs were detected in human liver microsomes (HLMs) incubated with the co-factor uridine-diphosphate glucuronic acid (UDPGA). The glucuronidation metabolism reactions catalyzed by HLMs followed Michaelis-Menten or substrate inhibition kinetics. Recombinant enzymes and inhibition experiments with chemical reagents were employed to phenotype the principal UGT isoforms participating in BP glucuronidation. UGT1A6 emerged as the major enzyme in the glucuronidation of 4-Bromophenol (4-BP), while UGT1A1, UGT1A6, and UGT1A8 were identified as the most essential isoforms for metabolizing 2,4-dibromophenol (2,4-DBP). UGT1A1, UGT1A8, and UGT2B4 were deemed the most critical isoforms in the catalysis of 2,4,6-tribromophenol (2,4,6-TBP) glucuronidation. Species differences were investigated using the liver microsomes of pig (PLM), rat (RLM), monkey (MyLM), and dog (DLM). Additionally, 2,4,6-TBP effects on the expression of UGT1A1 and UGT2B7 in HepG2 cells were evaluated. The results demonstrated potential induction of UGT1A1 and UGT2B7 upon exposure to 2,4,6-TBP at a concentration of 50 μM. Collectively, these findings contribute to elucidating the metabolic elimination and toxicity of BPs.

Potential risk of drug-drug interactions of ponatinib via inhibition against human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases

Ponatinib is an efficient oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for T315I-positive Ph + ALL and T315I-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or BCR-ABL when no other TKIs can be prescribed. In this research, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of ponatinib on human recombinant UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) and predicted the magnitude of potential drug-drug interaction (DDI) risk of co-treatment with ponatinib and UGTs substrates by using in vitro-in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) method. Our study presented that ponatinib showed a broad-spectrum inhibition against UGTs. Particularly, ponatinib exhibited potent inhibitory effects towards UGT1A7, UGT1A1, and UGT1A9 with IC50 values of 0.37, 0.41, and 0.89 μM, respectively, which might lead to clinically significant DDI.

A REVIEW ON ANOMALIN: A NATURAL BIOACTIVE PYRANOCOUMARIN FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE

Anomalin is a seselin-type pyranocoumarin isolated for the first time from Angelica anomala Avé-Lal, but is also found in several other plant species, especially in Apiaceae. This lipophilic molecule possesses pharmacologically beneficial activities for human health. The major scientific databases Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed up to the end of 2021 and the combining terms anomalin, praeruptorin, isolation, structure elucidation, and biological activity were used in the research of this review. This review focuses on the sources, structural properties, and biological functions of anomalin and provides future trends in the investigation of anomalin, particularly in therapies for many common diseases such as anti-inflammatory and neurodegenerative illnesses. As a potential bioactive molecule, prospective studies on anomalin should be done through supported clinical trials. At the end, this review confirms the significant pharmacological potential of anomalin.

Prediction of Drug-Drug Interactions Related to Inhibition or Induction of Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes

Drug-drug interaction (DDI) is the phenomenon of alteration of the pharmacological activity of a drug(s) when another drug(s) is co-administered in cases of so-called polypharmacy. There are three types of DDIs: pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic, and pharmaceutical. PK is the most frequent type of DDI, which often appears as a result of the inhibition or induction of drug-metabolising enzymes (DME). In this review, we summarise in silico methods that may be applied for the prediction of the inhibition or induction of DMEs and describe appropriate computational methods for DDI prediction, showing the current situation and perspectives of these approaches in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. We review sources of information on DDI, which can be used in pharmaceutical investigations and medicinal practice and/or for the creation of computational models. The problem of the inaccuracy and redundancy of these data are discussed. We provide information on the state-of-the-art physiologically- based pharmacokinetic modelling (PBPK) approaches and DME-based in silico methods. In the section on ligand-based methods, we describe pharmacophore models, molecular field analysis, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR), and similarity analysis applied to the prediction of DDI related to the inhibition or induction of DME. In conclusion, we discuss the problems of DDI severity assessment, mention factors that influence severity, and highlight the issues, perspectives and practical using of in silico methods.

In Vitro Comparative Study of the Inhibitory Effects of Mangiferin and Its Aglycone Norathyriol towards UDP-Glucuronosyl Transferase (UGT) Isoforms

Mangiferin (MGF), the predominant constituent of extracts of the mango plant Mangifera Indica L., has been investigated extensively because of its remarkable pharmacological effects. In vitro recombinant UGTs-catalyzed glucuronidation of 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU) was used to investigate the inhibition of mangiferin and aglycone norathyriol towards various isoforms of UGTs in our study, which evaluated the inhibitory capacity of MGF and its aglycone norathyriol (NTR) towards UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoforms. Initial screening experiment showed that deglycosylation of MGF into NTR strongly increased the inhibitory effects towards almost all the tested UGT isoforms at a concentration of 100 μM. Kinetic experiments were performed to further characterize the inhibition of UGT1A3, UGT1A7 and UGT1A9 by NTR. NTR competitively inhibited UGT1A3, UGT1A7 and UGT1A9, with an IC₅₀ value of 8.2, 4.4, and 12.3 μM, and a Ki value of 1.6, 2.0, and 2.8 μM, respectively. In silico docking showed that only NTR could dock into the activity cavity of UGT1A3, UGT1A7 and UGT1A9. The binding free energy of NTR to UGT1A3, 1A7, 1A9 were −7.4, −7.9 and −4.0 kcal/mol, respectively. Based on the inhibition evaluation standard ([I]/Ki < 0.1, low possibility; 0.1 < [I]/Ki < 1, medium possibility; [I]/Ki > 1, high possibility), an in vivo herb–drug interaction between MGF/NTR and drugs mainly undergoing UGT1A3-, UGT1A7- or UGT1A9-catalyzed metabolism might occur when the plasma concentration of NTR is above 1.6, 2.0 and 2.8 μM, respectively.

Evaluation and Comparison of the Inhibition Effect of Astragaloside IV and Aglycone Cycloastragenol on Various UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) Isoforms

As one of the main active ingredients from Radix Astragali (RA), orally dosed astragaloside IV (AST) is easily transformed to sapogenin-cycloastragenol (CAG) by deglycosylation in the gastrointestinal tract. Because the potential adverse effects of AST and CAG remain unclear, the present study in this article was carried out to investigate the inhibition effects of AST and CAG on UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) to explore potential clinical toxicity. An in vitro UGTs incubation mixture was employed to study the inhibition of AST and CAG towards UGT isoforms. Concentrations of 100 μM for each compound were used to initially screen the inhibitory efficiency. Deglycosylation of AST to CAG could strongly increase the inhibitory effects towards almost all of the tested UGT isoforms, with an IC₅₀ of 0.84 μM and 11.28 μM for UGT1A8 and UGT2B7, respectively. Ulteriorly, the inhibition type and kinetics of CAG towards UGT1A8 and UGT2B7 were evaluated depending on the initial screening results. Data fitting using Dixon and Lineweaver-Burk plots demonstrated that CAG competitively inhibited UGT1A8 and noncompetitively inhibited UGT2B7. From the second plot drawn with the slopes from the Lineweaver-Burk plot versus the concentrations of CAG, the inhibition constant (Ki) was calculated to be 0.034 μM and 20.98 μM for the inhibition of UGT1A8 and UGT2B7, respectively. Based on the [I]/Ki standard ([I]/Ki < 0.1, low possibility; 1 > [I]/Ki > 0.1, medium possibility; [I]/Ki > 1, high possibility), it was successfully predicted here that an in vivo herb-drug interaction between AST/CAG and drugs mainly undergoing UGT1A8- or UGT2B7-catalyzed metabolism might occur when the plasma concentration of CAG is above 0.034 μM and 20.98 μM, respectively.