Tacrine is not an ideal probe drug for measuring CYP1A2 activity in vivo

Considering CYP1A2 phenotype and genotype for optimizing the dose of olanzapine in the management of schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION

Schizophrenia, a mental disorder, is a debilitating condition which typically strikes young people in their early 20's. Antipsychotic medications are widely prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia however a balancing act is necessary to provide the correct dose to each patient. It is suggested that a large number of patients discontinue antipsychotic pharmacotherapy because the treatments provided do not always reduce the positive symptoms of the disease, while many have adverse effects on the patients. This implies that neither the incorrect drug nor the optimal dosage for that patient is achieved.

AREAS COVERED

The current review investigates variability in response to olanzapine with a specific focus on the common intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence both olanzapine and CYP1A2 activity. Furthermore, the authors discuss the utilization of phenotyping and genotyping of CYP1A2 and their potential utility in clinical practice for olanzapine dosing regimens. The authors also consider the potential of pharmacometrics compared to pharmacogenomics as a tool to personalize medicine.

EXPERT OPINION

Careful consideration must be given to the impact of a genetic variant on the disposition of a drug prior to implementing genetic 'tests' to determine response. CYP1A2 phenotypic assessment can yield important information regarding the disposition of olanzapine; however, it relies on the accuracy of the metric and the minimal impact of other metabolic pathways. The application of pharmacometrics provides an effective method to establish covariates that significantly influence olanzapine disposition which can incorporate phenotype and/or genotype.

Structure, function, regulation and polymorphism and the clinical significance of human cytochrome P450 1A2

Human CYP1A2 is one of the major CYPs in human liver and metabolizes a number of clinical drugs (e.g., clozapine, tacrine, tizanidine, and theophylline; n > 110), a number of procarcinogens (e.g., benzo[a]pyrene and aromatic amines), and several important endogenous compounds (e.g., steroids). CYP1A2 is subject to reversible and/or irreversible inhibition by a number of drugs, natural substances, and other compounds. The CYP1A gene cluster has been mapped on to chromosome 15q24.1, with close link between CYP1A1 and 1A2 sharing a common 5'-flanking region. The human CYP1A2 gene spans almost 7.8 kb comprising seven exons and six introns and codes a 515-residue protein with a molecular mass of 58,294 Da. The recently resolved CYP1A2 structure has a relatively compact, planar active site cavity that is highly adapted for the size and shape of its substrates. The architecture of the active site of 1A2 is characterized by multiple residues on helices F and I that constitutes two parallel substrate binding platforms on either side of the cavity. A large interindividual variability in the expression and activity of CYP1A2 has been observed, which is largely caused by genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors (e.g., smoking). CYP1A2 is primarily regulated by the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and CYP1A2 is induced through AhR-mediated transactivation following ligand binding and nuclear translocation. Induction or inhibition of CYP1A2 may provide partial explanation for some clinical drug interactions. To date, more than 15 variant alleles and a series of subvariants of the CYP1A2 gene have been identified and some of them have been associated with altered drug clearance and response and disease susceptibility. Further studies are warranted to explore the clinical and toxicological significance of altered CYP1A2 expression and activity caused by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors.

Development of an in vitro drug-drug interaction assay to simultaneously monitor five cytochrome P450 isoforms and performance assessment using drug library compounds

INTRODUCTION

Inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) is a principal mechanism for metabolism-based drug-drug interactions (DDIs). This article describes a robust, high-throughput CYP-mediated DDI assay using a cocktail of 5 clinically relevant probe substrates with quantification by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS).

METHODS

The assay consisted of human liver microsomes and a cocktail of probe substrates metabolized by the five major CYP isoforms (tacrine for CYP1A2, diclofenac for CYP2C9, (S)-mephenytoin for CYP2C19, dextromethorphan for CYP2D6 and midazolam for CYP3A4). The assay was fully automated in both 96- and 384-well formats.

RESULTS

A series of experiments were conducted to define the optimal kinetic parameters and solvent concentrations, as well as, to assess potential reactant and product interference. The assay was validated against known CYP inhibitors (miconazole, sulfaphenazole, ticlopidine, quinidine, ketoconazole, itraconazole, fluoxetine) and evaluated in a screening environment by testing 9494 compounds.

DISCUSSION

Our findings show that this assay has application in early stage drug discovery to economically, reliably and accurately assess compounds for DDIs.

Consumption of Charcoal-Broiled Meat as an Experimental Tool for Discerning CYP1A2-Mediated Drug Metabolism in vivo

Cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) is a major drug-metabolising enzyme. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, present in high concentrations in tobacco smoke and charcoal-broiled meat, are known to induce CYP1A2. The purpose of the present study was to validate enzyme induction by consumption of charcoal-broiled meat as an experimental tool for discerning CYP1A2-mediated drug metabolism in vivo. Twenty-four healthy, non-smoking men, all extensive metabolisers of sparteine (CYP2D6), participated in the study. All participants were genotyped for a putative CYP1A2-inducibility genotype. In the study diet period charcoal-broiled meat was served for lunch and dinner for five consecutive days. All participants were tested with probe reactions for CYP1A2 (caffeine) and CYP2C19 (proguanil) before and after consuming the study diet. Further, in three subgroups, they were tested with either the CYP1A2-substrate tacrine or probe reactions for CYP3A4 (quinidine) or CYP2C9 (tolbutamide). Neither probe reactions for CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19 or CYP3A4 were affected by consumption of charcoal-broiled meat as practised in this study. No modifying role of the CYP1A2-inducibility genotype was evident. A number of experimental limitations are discussed, among them the lack of standardisation of exposure, the timing of phenotyping, and the choice of probe reactions. In conclusion, consumption of charcoal-broiled meat as practised in the present study appears not to be a useful experimental tool for discerning CYP1A2-mediated metabolism in vivo.

Assessment of CYP1A2 Activity in Clinical Practice: Why, How, and When?

The cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP1A2 mediates the rate-limiting step in the metabolism of many drugs including theophylline, clozapine, and tacrine as well as in the bioactivation of procarcinogens. CYP1A2 activity shows both pronounced intra- and interindividual variability, which is, among other factors, related to smoking causing enzyme induction, to drug intake and to dietary factors which may result in induction or inhibition. In contrast to these exogenous factors, genetic influences on enzyme activity seem to be less pronounced. Therefore, phenotyping of CYP1A2, i.e. the determination of the actual activity of the enzyme in vivo, represents a useful approach both for scientific and clinical applications. CYP1A2 is almost exclusively expressed in the liver. Since liver tissue cannot be obtained for direct phenotyping, a probe drug which is metabolized by CYP1A2 has to be given. Proposed probe drugs include caffeine, theophylline, and melatonin. Caffeine is most often used because of the predominating role of CYP1A2 in its overall metabolism and the excellent tolerability. Various urinary, plasma, saliva, and breath based CYP1A2 caffeine metrics have been applied. While caffeine clearance is considered as the gold standard, the salivary or plasma ratio of paraxanthine to caffeine in a sample taken approximately 6 hr after a defined dose of caffeine is a more convenient, less expensive but also fully validated CYP1A2 phenotyping metric. CYP1A2 phenotyping is applied frequently in epidemiologic and drug-drug interaction studies, but its clinical use and usefulness remains to be established.

NAT2 and CYP1A2 phenotyping with caffeine: head-to-head comparison of AFMU vs. AAMU in the urine metabolite ratios

AIMS

(i) To compare the phenotyping of healthy subjects for NAT2 and CYP1A2 activities with caffeine, by the simultaneous assay of the urinary metabolites AFMU and AAMU, and (ii) to ascertain whether NAT2 and CYP1A2 phenotyping is influenced by the use of AFMU or AAMU in the metabolite ratio.

METHODS

Thirty-five healthy subjects (16 men, 19 women) participated to the study. Caffeine metabolite concentrations were measured in urine collected 8 h after 2.5 mg kg-1 caffeine intake using a new validated h.p.l.c. method. The metabolite ratios AFMU/1X, AFMU/(AFMU+1X+1U), AAMU/1X, AAMU/(AAMU+1X+1 U), and (AFMU+1U+1X)/17U, (AAMU+1U+1X)/17U were determined as indices of NAT2 and CYP1A2 activity, respectively.

RESULTS

Slow and rapid acetylators were similarly identified using the four NAT2 metabolite ratios in 139 out of 140 measurements. An appreciable amount of AAMU was present in urine that was immediately acidified and analysed. Consequently, the ratio using AFMU was lower than that using total AAMU following transformation of AFMU in basic conditions. The proportion of AFMU in urine analysed immediately expressed as AFMU/(AFMU+AAMU) ratio did not correlate with urine pH, but was a function of the acetylation phenotype, with a low intergroup variability (64 +/- 3% and 32 +/- 5%, for rapid and slow acetylators, respectively; P < 0.00001, anova). Regarding CYP1A2 activity, a good correlation (r = 0.99) was observed between the metabolite ratios calculated from AFMU and AAMU, although the ratios calculated from AFMU were proportionately and systematically lower P < 0.00001, paired t-test, slope 1.2).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that both AFMU and AAMU can be used for NAT2 and CYP1A2 metabolite ratio determinations. The reported conversion of AFMU into AAMU is unlikely to explain the large amount of AAMU in urine that was acidified and analysed immediately after voiding. The results suggest that AAMU is formed not solely through a nonenzymatic hydrolysis in urine, but in vivo by a NAT2 phenotype-dependent pathway.

Uncertainty factors for chemical risk assessment. human variability in the pharmacokinetics of CYP1A2 probe substrates

A 100-fold uncertainty factor is used to derive acceptable daily intakes for compounds causing thresholded toxicity. The 10-fold factor for human variability can be further subdivided into two factors of 10(0.5) (3.16) to allow for toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics. The validity of the human kinetic subfactor has been analysed in relation to CYP1A2 metabolism using published in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters selected to reflect chronic exposure (metabolic and total clearances and area under the plasma concentration-time curve: CLm, CL and AUC) and acute exposure (the peak plasma concentration, C(max)). The variability in CYP1A2 activity in healthy adults, based on data after oral and intravenous dosage (CLm, CL and AUC), ranged from 34 to 42%. The variability in C(max) was 21%. The default kinetic factor of 3.16 would cover at least 99% of the healthy adult population, assuming that the data were log-normally distributed, but would give lower protection for some subgroups (pregnant women at term, healthy elderly, patients with liver disease), and was inadequate for neonates. This analysis of in vivo kinetic data for CYP1A2 substrates illustrates the importance of quantifying human variability in specific metabolic pathways, and of identifying potentially susceptible subgroups of the human population, in order to determine the scientific validity of uncertainty factors.