Interaction of drugs, steroids and fatty acids with liver-microsomal cytochrome P-450

David Kupfer: a career retrospective

David Kupfer's research career spanned 50 years and he authored or co-authored over 160 papers and book chapters. Although best known for his work centering on cytochrome P450 metabolism of prostaglandins, steroids, and proestrogenic compounds, David's research also contributed key advances in the areas of P450 induction and catalytic mechanism, breast cancer therapy, and analytical methodology. His research is reviewed here.

Mechanism-based in vivo inactivation of lauric acid hydroxylases

The hepatic cytochrome P-450 isozymes that catalyze omega- and (omega - 1)-hydroxylation of lauric acid are specifically inactivated in vitro but not in vivo by 10-undecynoic acid. The lack of in vivo activity may result from rapid degradation of the inhibitor by beta-oxidation. Strategies for the construction of fatty acid analogues that retain the ability to inactivate fatty acid hydroxylases but are resistant to metabolic degradation have therefore been sought. Fatty acid analogues in which the carboxylic acid group is replaced by a sulfate moiety, or in which two methyl groups are placed vicinal to the carboxylic acid group, have been found to inactivate lauric acid hydroxylases in vitro and in vivo without causing time-dependent inhibition of ethoxycoumarin O-deethylation or N-methyl-p-chloroaniline N-demethylation.

Biotransformation rate (in vitro) and systemic potency (in vivo) of the topical glucocorticoid budesonide in male and female rats

Budesonide is a glucocorticoid of clinical interest for the topical treatment of skin and respiratory diseases. The in vitro liver biotransformation rate and in vivo systemic potency (thymus involution) of budesonide were studied in male and female rats. The biotransformation rate of [3H]-budesonide was about 4 times slower in the female than in the male rat liver 9000 g supernatant (t 1/2; 230 and 57 min, respectively). The systemic potency of budesonide after peroral or subcutaneous administration was higher (by factors of 6 and 2, respectively) in the female than in the male rat. These results suggest that the liver biotransformation rate of budesonide is of great importance in reducing its systemic action in the male rat.