Differential glucocorticoid responses of CYP3A23 and CYP3A2 are mediated by selective binding of orphan nuclear receptors

Study on Cytochrome P450 Metabolic Profile of Paclitaxel on Rats using QTOF-MS

BACKGROUND

Paclitaxel (PTX) is a key drug used for chemotherapy for various cancers. The hydroxylation metabolites of paclitaxel are different between humans and rats. Currently, there is little information available on the metabolic profiles of CYP450 enzymes in rats.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the dynamic metabolic profiles of PTX and its metabolites in rats and in vitro.

METHODS

Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and LC-MS/MS were applied to qualitative and quantitative analysis of PTX and its metabolites in rats, liver microsomes and recombinant enzyme CYP3A1/3A2. Ten specific inhibitors [NF (CYP1A1), FFL (CYP1A2), MOP (CYP2A6), OND (CYP2B6), QCT (CYP2C8), SFP (CYP2C9), NKT (CYP2C19), QND (CYP2D6), MPZ (CYP2E1) and KTZ (CYP3A4)] were used to identify the metabolic pathway in vitro.

RESULTS

Four main hydroxylated metabolites of PTX were identified. Among them, 3'-p-OH PTX and 2-OH PTX were monohydroxylated metabolites identified in rats and liver microsome samples, and 6α-2-di-OH PTX and 6α-5"-di-OH PTX were dihydroxylated metabolites identified in rats. CYP3A recombinant enzyme studies showed that the CYP3A1/3A2 in rat liver microsomes was mainly responsible for metabolizing PTX into 3'-p- OH-PTX and 2-OH-PTX. However, 6α-OH PTX was not detected in rat plasma and liver microsome samples.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that the CYP3A1/3A2 enzyme, metabolizing PTX into 3'-p-OH-PTX and 2- OH-PTX, is responsible for the metabolic of PTX in rats. The CYP2C8 metabolite 6α-OH PTX in humans was not detected in rat plasma in this study, which might account for the interspecies metabolic differences between rats and humans. This study will provide evidence for drug-drug interaction research in rats.

Decreased nuclear receptor activity and epigenetic modulation associates with down-regulation of hepatic drug-metabolizing enzymes in chronic kidney disease

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) require many medications. CYP2C and CYP3A drug-metabolizing enzymes play a critical role in determining the pharmacokinetics of the majority of prescribed medications. These enzymes are transcriptionally regulated by the nuclear receptors pregnane X receptor (PXR) and hepatic nuclear factor 4α (HNF-4α). Expression of CYP2C and CYP3A is decreased in CKD; however, the mechanisms by which this occurs is unknown. We induced CKD in rats by 5/6 nephrectomy and used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to determine nuclear receptor- and epigenetic alteration-mediated differences in the promoter region of the CYP2C and CYP3A genes. RNA polymerase II and HNF-4α binding was decreased 76 and 57% in the CYP2C11 promotor and 71 and 77% in the CYP3A2 promoter, respectively (P<0.05). ChIP also revealed a 57% decrease in PXR binding to the CYP3A2 promoter in CKD rats (P<0.05). The decrease in PXR and HNF-4α binding was accompanied by diminished histone 4 acetylation in the CYP3A2 promoter (48%) and histone 3 acetylation in the CYP2C11 (77%) and CYP3A2 (77%) promoter loci for nuclear receptor activation (P<0.05). This study suggests that decreased nuclear receptor binding and histone acetylation may contribute to the mechanism of drug-metabolizing enzyme down-regulation and altered pharmacokinetics in CKD.

Hepatic CYP3A expression and activity in low birth weight developing female rats

BACKGROUND

We aimed to investigate the effects of low birth weight (LBW) on the hepatic expression of cytochrome P-450 3A (CYP3A) in developing female rats.

METHODS

Pregnant rats were divided into two groups, a nourished group and an under-nourished group. The offspring of the nourished rats were defined as a normal weight, normal diet group (NN group). The offspring of the under-nourished rats were designated as a LBW, normal diet group (LN group). CYP3A mRNA expression, protein expression, protein localization and activity were determined.

RESULTS

The CYP3A1 mRNA expression levels of the LN group on days 3, 21, and 56 were significantly higher than those of the same age in the NN group (P≤0.01). The mRNA expression of CYP3A2 in the LN group on day 21 was higher than in rats of the same age in the NN group (P<0.01). The staining intensity and frequency of CYP3A1-positive hepatocytes were significantly lower on days 7 and 21 in the LN group than those of rats of the same age in the NN group (P<0.05). The staining intensity and frequency of CYP3A2-positive hepatocytes on days 14 and 21 were higher in the LN group than those on the same days in the NN group (P<0.05). The mean CYP3A activity of the LN group on day 3 was significantly higher than that of the NN group (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

We found the effect of LBW on CYP3A activity was most prominent during the early days of life in rats. Investigators and clinicians should consider the effect of LBW on CYP3A in both pharmacokinetic study design and data interpretation, when prescribing drugs to LBW infants.

A mechanism-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model for CYP3A1/2 induction by dexamethasone in rats

AIM

To develop a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model describing the receptor/gene-mediated induction of CYP3A1/2 by dexamethasone (DEX) in rats.

METHODS

A group of male Sprague-Dawley rats receiving DEX (100 mg/kg, ip) were sacrificed at various time points up to 60 h post-treatment. Their blood sample and liver were collected. The plasma concentration of DEX was determined with a reverse phase HPLC method. CYP3A1/2 mRNA, protein levels and enzyme activity were measured using RT-PCR, ELISA and the testosterone substrate assay, respectively. Data analyses were performed using a first-order conditional estimate (FOCE) with INTERACTION method in NONMEM version 7.1.2.

RESULTS

A two-compartment model with zero-order absorption was applied to describe the pharmacokinetic characteristics of DEX. Systemic clearance, the apparent volume of distribution and the duration of zero-order absorption were calculated to be 172.7 mL·kg(-1)·h(-1), 657.4 mL/kg and 10.47 h, respectively. An indirect response model with a series of transit compartments was developed to describe the induction of CYP3A1/2 via PXR transactivation by DEX. The maximum induction of CYP3A1 and CYP3A2 mRNA levels was achieved, showing nearly 21.29- and 8.67-fold increases relative to the basal levels, respectively. The CYP3A1 and CYP3A2 protein levels were increased by 8.02-fold and 2.49-fold, respectively. The total enzyme activities of CYP3A1/2 were shown to increase by up to 2.79-fold, with a lag time of 40 h from the Tmax of the DEX plasma concentration. The final PK/PD model was able to recapitulate the delayed induction of CYP3A1/2 mRNA, protein and enzyme activity by DEX.

CONCLUSION

A mechanism-based PK/PD model was developed to characterize the complex concentration-induction response relationship between DEX and CYP3A1/2 and to resolve the drug- and system-specific PK/PD parameters for the course of induction.

Enhanced expression and glucocorticoid-inducibility of hepatic cytochrome P450 3A involve recruitment of the pregnane-X-receptor to promoter elements in rats fed soy protein isolate

Previous studies and Expt. 1 of the current study demonstrate that diets made with soy protein isolate (SPI) enhance the glucocorticoid-inducibility of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A-dependent monooxygenase activities (P < 0.05) compared with diets made with casein (CAS). To determine the underlying molecular mechanism, in a second experiment, we analyzed the time course of dexamethasone (DEX)-induction of hepatic CYP3A mRNA expression on postnatal d (PND) 25 and PND60 in male and female rats fed SPI- or CAS-based diets. After 50 mg(/)kg DEX, CYP3A1 mRNA expression increased >200-fold in SPI-fed males and females at PND25 compared with a 100-fold increase in CAS-fed rats (P < 0.05). The DEX-induced increase in CYP3A1 mRNA in SPI-fed rats on PND60 was also greater than that in CAS-fed rats. The induction by DEX of CYP3A2 mRNA was 1- to 3-fold greater in rats fed SPI compared with those fed CAS on PND25 (P < 0.05). Quantitation of newly synthesized CYP3A1 RNA transcripts by nuclear run-on analysis demonstrated a greater rate of basal transcription in SPI-fed compared with CAS-fed rats on PND60 accompanied by greater binding of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) to a response element on the CYP3A1 promoter in SPI-fed compared with CAS-fed rats (P < 0.05). These data suggest that increased hepatic CYP3A expression and inducibility following SPI feeding involves recruitment of PXR to its response element and suggests that soy consumption has potential effects on metabolism and transport of a wide variety of drugs and on bile acid homeostasis via proteins regulated by this transcription factor.

Comparison of effects of VDR versus PXR, FXR and GR ligands on the regulation of CYP3A isozymes in rat and human intestine and liver

In this study, we compared the regulation of CYP3A isozymes by the vitamin D receptor (VDR) ligand 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25(OH)(2)D(3)) against ligands of the pregnane X receptor (PXR), the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in precision-cut tissue slices of the rat jejunum, ileum, colon and liver, and human ileum and liver. In the rat, 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) strongly induced CYP3A1 mRNA, quantified by qRT-PCR, along the entire length of the intestine, induced CYP3A2 only in ileum but had no effect on CYP3A9. In contrast, the PXR/GR ligand, dexamethasone (DEX), the PXR ligand, pregnenolone-16 alpha carbonitrile (PCN), and the FXR ligand, chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), but not the GR ligand, budesonide (BUD), induced CYP3A1 only in the ileum, none of them influenced CYP3A2 expression, and PCN, DEX and BUD but not CDCA induced CYP3A9 in jejunum, ileum and colon. In rat liver, CYP3A1, CYP3A2 and CYP3A9 mRNA expression was unaffected by 1,25(OH)(2)D(3), whereas CDCA decreased the mRNA of all CYP3A isozymes; PCN induced CYP3A1 and CYP3A9, BUD induced CYP3A9, and DEX induced all three CYP3A isozymes. In human ileum and liver, 1,25(OH)(2)D(3) and DEX induced CYP3A4 expression, whereas CDCA induced CYP3A4 expression in liver only. In conclusion, the regulation of rat CYP3A isozymes by VDR, PXR, FXR and GR ligands differed for different segments of the rat and human intestine and liver, and the changes did not parallel expression levels of the nuclear receptors.

Hepatic CYP3A Expression is Attenuated in Obese Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

PURPOSE

Changes in physiological, pathophysiological, and/or nutritional conditions often alter the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes. In this study, we investigated obesity-induced changes in hepatic cytochrome P450 (P450) levels using nutritionally obese mice.

METHODS

To induce obesity, mice were fed a high-fat diet or treated with gold thioglucose, which impairs ventromedial hypothalamus. Total RNAs and microsomal and nuclear proteins were prepared from the liver of these mice, and mRNA and protein levels of P450s and transcription factors were determined.

RESULTS

Among P450s examined, the constitutive expression of CYP3As was drastically reduced at both mRNA and protein levels by nutrition-induced obesity. One-week administration of a high-fat diet also reduced hepatic CYP3As. However, changes in nuclear receptors involved in the transcriptional regulation of CYP3A genes were not correlated with that of CYP3As. Obese mice induced by gold thioglucose exhibited a different expression profile of hepatic P450s with no significant change in CYP3As.

CONCLUSION

High-fat diet-induced changes in energy metabolism, which eventually result in obesity, modulate the hepatic expression profile of P450s, particularly CYP3As. Alternatively, the accumulation of a certain component in a high-fat diet may directly attenuate the CYP3A expression, suggesting a clinically important drug-diet interaction.

Roles of Nuclear Receptors in the Gene Expression of Drug-metabolizing Enzymes under Various Physiological Conditions

The nuclear receptor constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), a key transcription factor for the expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B genes, resides in the cytoplasm under untreated conditions and translocates into the nucleus upon xenobiotic exposure. CAR forms a multiprotein complex including heat shock protein 90 in the cytoplasm as the glucocorticoid receptor, and it is likely that protein phosphatase 2A plays a critical role in the first step of CAR nuclear translocation. In addition to the xenobiotic induction of CYP2Bs, our recent studies have indicated that CAR is important for sex and strain differences and obesity/diabetes-associated changes in the expression of CYP2B genes. These results have raised the hypothesis that the expression of nuclear receptors varies depending on the physiologic condition, leading to the dysregulation of CYP expression. In obese mice fed a high-fat diet, however, hepatic CYP3A levels are drastically decreased without any significant changes in the expression of nuclear receptors including the pregnane X receptor and hepatocyte nuclear factor-4, which are known to be key transcription factors in the expression of CYP3A genes. These results indicate that it is important to investigate the mechanism of the transcriptional regulation of nuclear receptor genes as well as the activation of nuclear receptors to understand the CYP expression system fully.

Soy protein isolate induces CYP3A1 and CYP3A2 in prepubertal rats

Feeding soy diets has been shown to induce cytochrome P450s in gene family CYP3A in Sprague-Dawley rat liver. We compared expression of CYP3A enzymes on postnatal Day 33 (PND33) rats fed casein or soy protein isolate (SPI+)-based AIN-93G diets continuously from gestational Day 4 through PND33 or the diets were switched on PND15 (n = 3-6 litters) to examine the potential imprinting effects of soy on drug metabolism. In addition rats were fed casein, SPI+, SPI+ stripped of phytochemicals (SPI-), or casein diets supplemented with the soy-associated isoflavones genistein or daidzein from weaning through PND33 to examine the hypothesis that the isoflavones are responsible for CYP3A induction by soy feeding. Feeding SPI either continuously or from weaning induced hepatic CYP3A1 and CYP3A2 mRNA, apoprotein, and CYP3A-dependent testosterone 6beta-hydroxylase activity in liver microsomes 2- to 5-fold (P < 0.05). CYP3A mRNA expression was also elevated 2- to 3-fold in the jejunum of SPI-fed rats (P < 0.05). CYP3A was not induced in livers of rats switched to casein from soy at weaning. Induction of CYP3A1 also did not occur in rats fed SPI-, but CYP3A2 mRNA and apoprotein were induced (P < 0.05) in females fed SPI-. Offspring weaned onto genistein-supplemented diets had no elevation of CYP3A mRNAs or apoproteins. Weaning onto daidzein diets increased CYP3A2 mRNA and apoprotein expression in male rats (P < 0.05). These data suggest that early soy consumption may increase the metabolism of a wide variety of CYP3A substrates, but that soy does not imprint the expression of CYP3A enzymes. Effects on CYP3A1 expression appear to be primarily due to phytochemical components of SPI other than isoflavones. In contrast, consumption of soy protein and daidzein appear to be associated with the induction of CYP3A2.

Selective downregulation of hepatic cytochrome P450 expression and activity in a rat model of inflammatory pain

PURPOSE

This study was designed to examine the effect of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA)-induced inflammation on liver P450 expression and activities in the first 7 days that followed a single FCA injection in the rat hindpaw.

METHODS

Rats were humanely sacrificed at regular time points, plasma and liver samples were collected, liver mRNA extracted, and liver microsomes prepared.

RESULTS

FCA injection led to the development of an acute inflammatory response evidenced by paw edema and increased alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and total-nitrite (NOx) plasma concentrations. Plasma IL-6 levels were significantly higher in FCA-treated rats than in controls at 8 h post-FCA. Within 24 h, these changes were accompanied by a rapid decrease in total P450 contents in FCA-treated rat liver and the selective downregulation of specific CYP isoforms, as illustrated by decreased mRNA levels (CYP2B, CYP2CI1, CYP3A1, and CYP2E1), protein contents (CYP2B, CYP2C11, and CYP2E1) or catalytic activities (CYP2C6, CYP2C11, and CYP2E1). CYP3A1 mRNA levels were severely decreased by FCA administration, whereas CYP3A2 mRNA and protein levels remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

These early biochemical and metabolic modifications may have pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic consequences when hepatically cleared drugs are administered to FCA-treated rats, especially within the first 24-72 h post-FCA.

Interaction of the glucocorticoid receptor and the chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII): implications for the actions of glucocorticoids on glucose, lipoprotein, and xenobiotic metabolism

Glucocorticoids exert their extremely diverse effects on numerous biologic activities of humans via only one protein module, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The GR binds to the glucocorticoid response elements located in the promoter region of target genes and regulates their transcriptional activity. In addition, GR associates with other transcription factors through direct protein-protein interactions and mutually represses or stimulates each other's transcriptional activities. The latter activity of GR may be more important than the former one, granted that mice harboring a mutant GR, which is active in terms of protein-protein interactions but inactive in terms of transactivation via DNA, survive and procreate, in contrast to mice with a deletion of the entire GR gene that die immediately after birth. We recently found that GR physically interacts with the chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor II (COUP-TFII), which plays a critical role in the metabolism of glucose, cholesterol, and xenobiotics, as well as in the development of the central nervous system in fetus. GR stimulates COUP-TFII-induced transactivation by attracting cofactors via its activation function-1, while COUP-TFII represses the GR-governed transcriptional activity by tethering corepressors, such as the silencing mediator for retinoid and thyroid hormone receptors (SMRT) and the nuclear receptor corepressors (NCoRs) via its C-terminal domain. Their mutual interaction may play an important role in gluconeogenesis, lipoprotein metabolism, and enzymatic clearance of clinically important compounds and bioactive chemicals, by regulating their rate-limiting enzymes and molecules, including the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), the cytochrome P450 CYP3A and CYP7A, and several apolipoproteins. It appears that glucocorticoids exert their intermediary effects partly via physical interaction with COUP-TFII.

A human and mouse pregnane X receptor reporter gene assay in combination with cytotoxicity measurements as a tool to evaluate species-specific CYP3A induction

Recent studies have demonstrated that a member of the nuclear receptor family, pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a key regulator of the expression of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) in humans and rodents. It is also known that species specificity in the induction of CYP3A by xenobiotics is likely a consequence of differences at the level of PXR activation. Because of the importance of CYP3A4 in drug metabolism, the development of rapid and accurate in vitro assays for predicting the effects of compounds on CYP3A4 expression or activity in humans has been a long-standing goal within pharmaceutical industries. PXR activation measurements using an in vitro reporter gene approach appears to provide a rapid and relatively inexpensive means for predicting whether compounds will induce CYP3A levels in vivo. In this study, using an HepG2 cell based human and mouse PXR reporter gene assay, 23 compounds were tested for their potential to activate hPXR or mPXR. Data demonstrated that potent activators of hPXR had virtually no activity on mPXR and efficient activators of mPXR had weak activity on hPXR. In addition, a third category of moderate/weak activators of both hPXR and mPXR was identified. Exemestane was a strong activator of mPXR ( approximately 22-fold activation) with only minor effect on hPXR ( approximately 5-fold activation). The importance of cell viability measurements as part of the PXR reporter gene assay was demonstrated as significant cytotoxicity or inhibition of cell proliferation might underestimate the potential for PXR activation.

A cell-based reporter gene assay for determining induction of CYP3A4 in a high-volume system

Assessing the inducibility of CYP3A4 by various xenobiotics can predict potential drug interactions. In the present investigation, human hepatoma cells were stably integrated with either the CYP3A4 enhancer region and a luciferase reporter gene or the CYP3A4-luciferase construct and the human pregnane X receptor (PXR). Several colonies containing one to three copies of luciferase per cell were identified by Southern blot analysis. Those transformants producing high luciferase activity in response to rifampicin were used to standardize a 96-well plate screening system with minimal inter- and intraplate variability. Standardization also consisted of assessing viability of cells cultured in medium containing various serum concentrations. In cells maintained for 48 h in medium with less than 5% serum, a significant (p < 0.01) decline was observed in viability accompanied by altered induction. A defined serum-free medium also produced less viable cells but did not alter the inductive response. Treatment of transformants with various concentrations of rifampicin produced a dose-response curve with maximal induction at 10 microM (5.6 +/- 0.18- and 2.1 +/- 0.3-fold above dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-treated cells in transformants with and without PXR, respectively). Of additional agents examined for their ability to induce CYP3A4, omeprazole (200 microM) was the most potent inducer (12.8 +/- 1.9- and 2.4 +/- 0.2-fold above DMSO-treated cells in transformants with and without PXR, respectively). Mifepristone and mevastatin produced modest induction (approximately 3-fold) in the cell line containing exogenous PXR, but produced less than 1.2-fold increases in cells lacking PXR. Thus, only potent inducers can be identified in the cell line without PXR. In contrast, cells containing the receptor can be used to rank CYP3A4 induction. Because a high volume of chemicals can be readily and accurately screened for their ability to induce CYP3A4 with this format, such a system could be valuable in the initial stages of preclinical drug development.

The nuclear pregnane X receptor: a key regulator of xenobiotic metabolism

The nuclear pregnane X receptor (PXR; NR1I2) is an important component of the body's adaptive defense mechanism against toxic substances including foreign chemicals (xenobiotics). PXR is activated by a large number of endogenous and exogenous chemicals including steroids, antibiotics, antimycotics, bile acids, and the herbal antidepressant St. John's wort. Elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of the PXR ligand binding domain revealed that it has a large, spherical ligand binding cavity that allows it to interact with a wide range of hydrophobic chemicals. Thus, unlike other nuclear receptors that interact selectively with their physiological ligands, PXR serves as a generalized sensor of hydrophobic toxins. PXR binds as a heterodimer with the 9-cis retinoic acid receptor (NR2B) to DNA response elements in the regulatory regions of cytochrome P450 3A monooxygenase genes and a number of other genes involved in the metabolism and elimination of xenobiotics from the body. Although PXR evolved to protect the body, its activation by a variety of prescription drugs represents the molecular basis for an important class of harmful drug-drug interactions. Thus, assays that detect PXR activity will be useful in developing safer prescription drugs.

Orphan receptor chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factors inhibit steroid factor-1, upstream stimulatory factor, and activator protein-1 activation of ovine follicle-stimulating hormone receptor expression via composite cis-elements

The FSH receptor (FSHR) is selectively expressed in the granulosa and Sertoli cells in a development-dependent manner. Little is known regarding how the regulatory factors balance expression of this gene in ovarian cycles or spermatogenic stages. We have used the ovine FSHR promoter as a model system and identified a third regulatory element (RE-3) located at -197 to -171 of the strongest promoter. Gel mobility shift and antibody supershift assays demonstrated that nuclear factors c-Fos/c-Jun, steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1), upstream stimulatory factor-1/2 (USF-1/2), and chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor-1/2 (COUP-TFI/II) potentially bound to RE-3. We have also extended our previous observations by showing that a sequence containing an E-box was not only bound by USF proteins but also recognized by COUP-TF orphan receptors. Functional studies demonstrated that USF-1/2, c-Fos/c-Jun, and SF-1 were activators, whereas COUP-TFs were repressors. Our studies indicated that RE-3 mediated SF-1 activation as well as phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate stimulation, whereas COUP-TFs inhibited AP-1, USFs, and SF-1 activation. We also demonstrated that both COUP-TF-binding sites in the core promoter were required for the bipartite elements to oppose their competitor binding. These data suggest a mechanism by which positive and negative regulators compete for the common regulatory elements, providing antagonistic pathways that might govern the expression of FSHR in gonadal cells.

Regulation of cyp3a gene transcription by the pregnane x receptor

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a promiscuous nuclear receptor that has evolved to protect the body from toxic chemicals. PXR is activated by a structurally diverse collection of xenobiotics, including several widely used prescription drugs. Various lipophilic compounds produced by the body, such as bile acids and steroids, also activate PXR. PXR stimulates the transcription of cytochrome P450 3A monooxygenases and other genes involved in the detoxification and elimination of these potentially harmful chemicals. Assays that detect PXR activation have important implications for the design of future drugs in two respects. On the one hand, PXR activation assays can be used to determine whether candidate drugs are likely to induce CYP3A gene expression and interact with other medicines. On the other hand, PXR agonists may prove useful in the treatment of diseases in which toxic metabolites accumulate, such as cholestatic liver disease.

Selective induction of cytochrome P450 3A1 by dexamethasone in cultured rat hepatocytes: analysis with a novel reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay section sign

The study of drug metabolism in cultured rat hepatocytes is hampered by the rapid loss of the expression of cytochrome P450 enzymes. Nevertheless, the activity of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A), one of the most important isoenzymes for drug metabolism, can be elevated by chemical inducers. In the present study, we investigated in cultured rat hepatocytes the induction of all four currently identified CYP3A isoforms by dexamethasone, and compared the results obtained in vitro with the induction profile of dexamethasone in vivo. To this end, CYP3A mRNA levels were quantified with a novel, radioactive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, and CYP3A enzymatic activity was measured by a testosterone hydroxylation assay. In the RT-PCR assay, CYP3A isoforms were co-amplified with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in the presence of radioactively labeled nucleotides. This resulted in an extremely sensitive and accurate determination of CYP3A expression levels, relative to those of GAPDH. Using this RT-PCR assay, it was found that the expression of all CYP3A isoforms in rat hepatocytes, cultured on a collagen matrix, was decreased by 80-90% within one day of cultivation. After addition of dexamethasone, at one day after isolation, CYP3A1 mRNA levels were elevated to levels comparable to those in freshly isolated hepatocytes within two days. In contrast, CYP3A2, CYP3A9, and CYP3A18 mRNA levels were not affected by dexamethasone treatment, and were hardly detectable after three days of cultivation. CYP3A enzymatic activity was also induced in cultured hepatocytes (approximately 6-fold) after addition of dexamethasone. In vivo, CYP3A1 mRNA levels increased 45-fold after dexamethasone administration. However, in contrast to the situation in cultured hepatocytes, CYP3A2 and CYP3A18 were also induced, albeit to a lesser extent (4- and 7-fold elevated mRNA levels, respectively). We conclude that the selective induction of CYP3A1 in dexamethasone-treated rat hepatocytes allows the study of biotransformation reactions by CYP3A1, without interference by any of the other CYP3A isoenzymes.