1
|
Richards SE, Bradshaw PR, Johnson CH, Stachulski AV, Athersuch TJ, Nicholson JK, Lindon JC, Wilson ID. Transacylation and hydrolysis of the acyl glucuronides of ibuprofen and its α-methyl-substituted analogues investigated by 1H NMR spectroscopy and computational chemistry: Implications for drug design. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2024; 246:116238. [PMID: 38805849 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Drugs and drug metabolites containing a carboxylic-acid moiety can undergo in vivo conjugation to form 1-β-O-acyl-glucuronides (1-β-O-AGs). In addition to hydrolysis, these conjugates can undergo spontaneous acyl migration, and anomerisation reactions, resulting in a range of positional isomers. Facile transacylation has been suggested as a mechanism contributing to the toxicity of acyl glucuronides, with the kinetics of these processes thought to be a factor. Previous 1H NMR spectroscopic and HPLC-MS studies have been conducted to measure the degradation rates of the 1-β-O-AGs of three nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibufenac, R-ibuprofen, S-ibuprofen) and a dimethyl-analogue (termed here as "bibuprofen"). These studies have also determined the relative contributions of hydrolysis and acyl migration in both buffered aqueous solution, and human plasma. Here, a detailed kinetic analysis is reported, providing the individual rate constants for the acyl migration and hydrolysis reactions observed in buffer for each of the 4 AGs, together with the overall degradation rate constants of the parent 1-β-O-AGs. Computational modelling of the reactants and transition states of the transacylation reaction using density functional theory indicated differences in the activation energies that reflected the influence of both substitution and stereochemistry on the rate of transacylation/hydrolysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Selena E Richards
- Department of Chemistry, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Peter R Bradshaw
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Caroline H Johnson
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8034, USA
| | - Andrew V Stachulski
- Department of Chemistry, The Robert Robinson Laboratories, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, UK
| | - Toby J Athersuch
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Jeremy K Nicholson
- The Australian National Phenome Centre and Computational and Systems Medicine, Health Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Harry Perkins Building, Perth WA6150, Australia; Institute of Global Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Level 1, Faculty Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2NA, UK
| | - John C Lindon
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - Ian D Wilson
- Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Burlington Danes Building, London W12 0NN, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Mitra K. Acyl Glucuronide and Coenzyme A Thioester Metabolites of Carboxylic Acid-Containing Drug Molecules: Layering Chemistry with Reactive Metabolism and Toxicology. Chem Res Toxicol 2022; 35:1777-1788. [PMID: 36200746 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.2c00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Glucuronidation and CoA (coenzyme A) conjugation are common pathways for the elimination of carboxylic acid-containing drug molecules. In some instances, these biotransformations have been associated with toxicity (such as idiosyncratic hepatic injury, renal impairment, hemolytic anemia, gastrointestinal inflammation, and bladder cancer) attributed to, in part, the propensity of acyl glucuronides and acyl CoA thioesters to covalently modify biological macromolecules such as proteins and DNA. It is to be noted that, while acyl glucuronidation and CoA conjugation are indeed implicated in adverse effects, there are many safe drugs in the market that are cleared by these reactive pathways. It is therefore important that new molecular entities with carboxylic acid groups are evaluated for toxicity in a manner that is not unreasonably risk-averse. In the absence of truly predictable methods, therefore, the general approach is to apply a set of end points to generate a weight-of-evidence evaluation. In practice, the focus is to identify structural liabilities and provide structure-activity recommendations early in the program, at a stage where an attempt to improve reactive metabolism does not deoptimize other critical drug-quality criteria. This review will present a high-level overview of the chemistry of glucuronidation and CoA conjugation and provide a discussion of the possible mechanisms of adverse effects that have been associated with these pathways, as well as how such potential hazards are addressed while delivering a new chemical entity for clinical evaluation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Mitra
- Discovery, Product Development & Supply, Preclinical Sciences & Translational Safety, Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Springhouse, Pennsylvania 19477, United States
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Yu ZJ, Le H, Tang J, Yue Q, Zhang J, Murray B, Liu X, Smith BJ, Subramanian R. 18O-Enabled High-Throughput Acyl Glucuronide Stability Assay. Chem Res Toxicol 2022; 35:1400-1409. [PMID: 35833852 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.2c00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Acyl glucuronides (AGs) are common metabolites of carboxylic acid-containing compounds. In some circumstances, AGs are suspected to be involved in drug toxicity due to formation of acyl migration products that bind covalently to cellular components. The risk of this adverse effect has been found to be correlated with the chemical stability of the AG, and assays have been described that monitor acyl migration by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This analysis can be challenging as it requires baseline chromatographic separation of the unmigrated 1-β-acyl glucuronide from the migrated isomers and thus needs to be individually optimized for each aglycone. Therefore, a high-throughput assay that eliminates LC method development is desirable. Herein, we report an improved acyl glucuronide stability assay based on the rate of 18O-incorporation from [18O] water, which is compatible with high-throughput bioanalytical LC-MS workflows. Synthetic AGs with shorter migration half-lives showed faster incorporation of 18O. The level of differential incorporation of 18O following a 24 h incubation correlates well with the migration tendency of AGs. This assay was developed further, exploring in situ generation of AGs by human hepatic microsomal fraction. The results from 18 in situ-formed acyl glucuronides were similar to those obtained using authentic reference standards. In this format, this new 18O-labeling method offers a simplified workflow, requires no LC method development or AG reference standard, and thus facilitates AG liability assessment in early drug discovery.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zaikuan Josh Yu
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Hoa Le
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Jennifer Tang
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Qin Yue
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Jingyu Zhang
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Bernard Murray
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Xingrong Liu
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Bill J Smith
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| | - Raju Subramanian
- Drug Metabolism, Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, California 94404, United States
| |
Collapse
|