AMIDE N-GLUCURONIDATION OF MAXIPOST CATALYZED BY UDP-GLUCURONOSYLTRANSFERASE 2B7 IN HUMANS

2-(3-Indolyl)acetamides and their oxazoline analogues: Anticancer SAR study

We previously studied 2-aryl-2-(3-indolyl)acetohydroxamates as potential agents against melanoma. These compounds were ineffective in a mouse melanoma xenograft model, most likely due to unfavorable metabolic properties, specifically due to glucuronidation of the N-hydroxyl of the hydoxamic moiety. In the present work, we prepared a series of analogues, 2-aryl-2-(3-indolyl)acetamides and their oxazoline derivatives, which do not contain the N-hydroxyl group. We investigated the structure-activity relationship in both series of compounds and found that the 2-naphthyl is a preferred group at C-2 of the indole in the amide series, whereas the tetralin moiety is favorable in the same location in the oxazoline series. Overall, three compounds in the amide series have GI50 values as low as 0.2-0.3 µM and the results clearly indicate that the N-hydroxyl group is not necessary for high potency in vitro.

In vitro characterization of the metabolic pathways and cytochrome P450 inhibition and induction potential of BMS-690514, an ErbB/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor inhibitor

(3R,4R)-4-Amino-1-((4-((3-methoxyphenyl)amino)pyrrolo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-5-yl)methyl)-3-piperidinol (BMS-690514) is a potent inhibitor of ErbB human epidermal growth factor receptors (HER1, 2, and 4) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1 to 3 that has been under clinical development for solid tumor malignancies. BMS-690514 is primarily cleared by metabolism with the primary metabolic pathways being direct glucuronidation (M6), hydroxylation (M1, M2, and M37), and O-demethylation (M3). In the current investigation, the metabolic drug-drug interaction potential of BMS-690514 was evaluated in a series of in vitro studies. Reaction phenotyping experiments with cDNA-expressed human cytochrome P450 (P450) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes and human liver microsomes (HLM) in the presence of P450 or UGT inhibitors suggested that CYP3A4, CYP2D6, and CYP2C9 were the major enzymes responsible for the oxidative metabolism of BMS-690514, whereas both UGT2B4 and UGT2B7 were responsible for the formation of M6. BMS-690514 did not cause direct or time-dependent inhibition of P450 enzymes (IC(50) values ≥40 μM) in incubations with HLM and probe substrates of CYP1A2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, or 3A4. The compound also did not substantially induce CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP2B6, CYP3A4, or UGT1A1 at concentrations up to 10 μM in cultured human hepatocytes. Considering the submicromolar plasma C(max) concentration at the anticipated clinical dose of 200 mg, BMS-690514 is unlikely to cause clinically relevant drug-drug interactions when coadministered with other medications. In addition, because multiple enzymatic clearance pathways are available for the compound, inhibition of an individual metabolic pathway either via coadministered drugs or gene polymorphisms is not expected to cause pronounced (>2-fold) increases in BMS-690514 exposure.

N-glucuronidation of drugs and other xenobiotics by human and animal UDP-glucuronosyltransferases

Metabolic disposition of drugs and other xenobiotics includes glucuronidation reactions that are catalyzed by the uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs). The most common glucuronidation reactions are O- and N-glucuronidation and in this review, we discuss both, while the emphasis is on N-glucuronidation. Interspecies difference in glucuronidation is another central issue in this review due to its importance in drug development. Accordingly, the available data on glucuronidation in different animals comes mainly from the species that are used in preclinical studies to assess the safety of drugs under development. Both O- and N-glucuronidation reactions are chemically diverse. Different O-glucuronidation reactions are described and discussed, and many drugs that undergo such reactions are indicated. The compounds that undergo N-glucuronidation include primary aromatic amines, hydroxylamines, amides, tertiary aliphatic amines, and aromatic N-heterocycles. The interspecies variability in N-glucuronidation is particularly high, above all when it comes to aliphatic tertiary amines and aromatic N-heterocycles. The N-glucuronidation rates in humans are typically much higher than in animals, largely due to the activity of two enzymes, the extensively studied UGT1A4, and the more recently identified as a main player in N-glucuronidation, UGT2B10. We discuss both enzymes and review the findings that revealed the role of UGT2B10 in N-glucuronidation.

Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry for metabonomics investigation of the biochemical effects induced by aristolochic acid in rats: the use of information-dependent acquisition for biomarker identification

The toxic effects of oral administrations of nephrotoxic and carcinogenic aristolochic acid (AA) to male Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated by using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Analysis of the urine and plasma samples revealed distinct changes in the biochemical patterns in the AA-dosed rats. After peak finding and alignment, principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used for multivariate data analysis. Potential biomarkers were studied by high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analyses. The MS/MS spectra of all endogenous metabolites satisfying the pre-defined criteria were acquired in a single information-dependent acquisition (IDA) analysis, demonstrating that IDA was an efficient approach for structural elucidation in metabonomic studies. Citric acid and a glucuronide-containing metabolite were observed as potential biomarkers in rat urine. A significant increase in plasma creatinine concentration was also observed in the AA-dosed rats, which indicated that AA induced an adverse effect on the renal clearance function.

Characterization of 1'-hydroxymidazolam glucuronidation in human liver microsomes

Midazolam is a potent benzodiazepine derivative with sedative, hypnotic, anticonvulsant, muscle-relaxant, and anxiolytic activities. It undergoes oxidative metabolism catalyzed almost exclusively by the CYP3A subfamily to a major metabolite, 1'-hydroxymidazolam, which is equipotent to midazolam. 1'-Hydroxymidazolam is subject to glucuronidation followed by renal excretion. To date, the glucuronidation of 1'-hydroxymidazolam has not been evaluated in detail. In the current study, we identified an unreported quaternary N-glucuronide, as well as the known O-glucuronide, from incubations of 1'-hydroxymidazolam in human liver microsomes enriched with uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronic acid (UDPGA). The structure of the N-glucuronide was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, which showed that glucuronidation had occurred at N-2 (the imidazole nitrogen that is not a part of the benzodiazepine ring). In a separate study, in which midazolam was used as the substrate, an analogous N-glucuronide also was detected from incubations with human liver microsomes in the presence of UDPGA. Investigation of the kinetics of 1'-hydroxymidazolam glucuronidation in human liver microsomes indicated autoactivation kinetics (Hill coefficient, n = 1.2-1.5). The apparent S(50) values for the formation of O- and N-glucuronides were 43 and 18 microM, respectively, and the corresponding apparent V(max) values were 363 and 21 pmol/mg of microsomal protein/min. Incubations with recombinant human uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) indicated that the O-glucuronidation was catalyzed by UGT2B4 and UGT2B7, whereas the N-glucuronidation was catalyzed by UGT1A4. Consistent with these observations, hecogenin, a selective inhibitor of UGT1A4, selectively inhibited the N-glucuronidation, whereas diclofenac, a potent inhibitor of UGT2B7, had a greater inhibitory effect on the O-glucuronidation than on the N-glucuronidation. In summary, our study provides the first demonstration of N-glucuronidation of 1'-hydroxymidazolam in human liver microsomes.

Nicotine Glucuronidation and the Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase UGT2B10

Nicotine biotransformation affects the smoking habits of addicted individuals and therefore their health risk. Using an improved analytical method, we have discovered that the human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 2B10, a liver enzyme previously unknown to conjugate nicotine or exhibit considerable activity toward any compound, plays a major role in nicotine inactivation by direct conjugation with glucuronic acid at the aromatic nitrogen atom. The K(m) value of recombinant UGT2B10 for nicotine (0.29 mM) was similar to that determined for human liver microsomes (0.33 mM), whereas the K(m) value of UGT1A4 for nicotine was almost 10-fold greater (2.4 mM). UGT2B10 was also more active than UGT1A4 in N-glucuronidation of cotinine (oxidative nicotine metabolite), whereas UGT2B7 exhibited only low nicotine glucuronidation activity and was essentially inactive toward cotinine. UGT1A9 did not glucuronidate nicotine or cotinine. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction showed that UGT2B10 mRNA was exclusively expressed in human liver, whereas UGTs 1A4 and 2B7 were expressed at comparable, although somewhat lower, levels in liver and several other extrahepatic tissues, including kidney and intestine. These findings for UGT2B10 (but not for UGT1A4 and UGT2B7) were mirrored by human tissue activities because nicotine and cotinine glucuronidation rates in intestine microsomes were less than 0.1% that of human liver microsomes. These novel findings solve two seemingly separate questions: which UGT is primarily responsible for nicotine glucuronidation in human liver, and what conjugation reactions are catalyzed by UGT2B10.

N-glucuronidation of perfluorooctanesulfonamide by human, rat, dog, and monkey liver microsomes and by expressed rat and human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases

N-Alkylperfluorooctanesulfonamides have been used in a range of industrial and commercial applications. Perfluorooctanesulfonamide (FOSA) is a major metabolite of N-alkylperfluorooctanesulfonamides and has a long half-life in animals and in the environment and is biotransformed to FOSA N-glucuronide. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize the human and experimental animal liver UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) that catalyze the N-glucuronidation of FOSA. The results showed that pooled human liver and rat liver microsomes had high N-glucuronidation activities. Expressed rat UGT1.1, UGT2B1, and UGT2B12 in HK293 cells catalyzed the N-glucuronidation of FOSA but at rates that were lower than those observed in rat liver microsomes. Of the 10 expressed human UGTs (1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A6, 1A9, 2B4, 2B7, 2B15, and 2B17) studied, only hUGT2B4 and hUGT2B7 catalyzed the N-glucuronidation of FOSA. The kinetics of N-glucuronidation of FOSA by rat liver microsomes and by hUGT2B4/7 was consistent with a single-enzyme Michaelis-Menten model, whereas human liver microsomes showed sigmoidal kinetics. These data show that rat liver UGT1.1, UGT2B1, and UGT2B12 catalyze the N-glucuronidation of FOSA, albeit at low rates, and that hUGT2B4 and hUGT2B7 catalyze the N-glucuronidation of FOSA.

IN VITRO CHARACTERIZATION OF LAMOTRIGINEN2-GLUCURONIDATION AND THE LAMOTRIGINE-VALPROIC ACID INTERACTION

Studies were performed to investigate the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzyme(s) responsible for the human liver microsomal N2-glucuronidation of the anticonvulsant drug lamotrigine (LTG) and the mechanistic basis for the LTG-valproic acid (VPA) interaction in vivo. LTG N2-glucuronidation by microsomes from five livers exhibited atypical kinetics, best described by a model comprising the expressions for the Hill (1869 +/- 1286 microM, n = 0.65 +/- 0.16) and Michaelis-Menten (Km 2234 +/- 774 microM) equations. The UGT1A4 inhibitor hecogenin abolished the Michaelis-Menten component, without affecting the Hill component. LTG N2-glucuronidation by recombinant UGT1A4 exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with a Km of 1558 microM. Although recombinant UGT2B7 exhibited only low activity toward LTG, inhibition by zidovudine and fluconazole and activation by bovine serum albumin (BSA) (2%) strongly suggested that this enzyme was responsible for the Hill component of microsomal LTG N2-glucuronidation. VPA (10 mM) abolished the Hill component of microsomal LTG N2-glucuronidation, without affecting the Michaelis-Menten component or UGT1A4-catalyzed LTG metabolism. Ki values for inhibition of the Hill component of LTG N2-glucuronidation by VPA were 2465 +/- 370 microM and 387 +/- 12 microM in the absence and presence, respectively, of BSA (2%). Consistent with published data for the effect of fluconazole on zidovudine glucuronidation by human liver microsomal UGT2B7, the Ki value generated in the presence of BSA predicted the magnitude of the LTG-VPA interaction reported in vivo. These data indicate that UGT2B7 and UGT1A4 are responsible for the Hill and Michaelis-Menten components, respectively, of microsomal LTG N2-glucuronidation, and the LTG-VPA interaction in vivo arises from inhibition of UGT2B7.

Analysis of low level radioactive metabolites in biological fluids using high-performance liquid chromatography with microplate scintillation counting: method validation and application

TopCount, a microplate scintillation counter (MSC), has been recently employed as an off-line liquid radiochromatographic detector for radioactive metabolite profile analysis. The present study was undertaken to validate TopCount for metabolite profiling with respect to sensitivity, accuracy, precision and radioactivity recovery. Matrix effects of various human samples on TopCount performance and capability of MSC for volatile metabolite analysis were also investigated. TopCount had a limit of detection (LOD) of 5 DPM and a limit of quantification (LOQ) of 15 DPM for [(14)C]-labeled compounds at a 10min counting time. It was two-fold more sensitive than a liquid scintillation counter (LSC), and 50-100-fold more sensitive than a radioactivity flow detector (RFD). TopCount had comparable accuracy and precision to RFD, and comparable precision to LSC for determining relative abundance of metabolites. Human liver microsome incubation (up to 1 mL), plasma (up to 1 mL), urine (up to 2 mL) and feces (up to 50mg) had no significant quenching effects on TopCount performance. Benzoic acid, a volatile metabolite, was detected by TopCount, but not by Microbeta counter after microplates were dried under vacuum. Radioactivity recovery in HPLC-MSC analysis was reliably determined using an LSC-based method. Examples of using HPLC-MSC for analysis of low levels of radioactive metabolites are presented, including determination of plasma metabolite profile, in vitro reactive metabolites trapped by [(3)H]glutathione, and metabolite concentrations in an enzyme kinetic experiment. The data from this study strongly suggest that HPLC in combination with TopCount is a viable alternative analytical tool for detection and quantification of low levels of radioactive metabolites in biological fluids.

Metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and protein covalent binding of radiolabeled MaxiPost (BMS-204352) in humans

MaxiPost [(3S)-(+)-(5-chloro-2-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-dihydro-3-fluoro-6-(trifluoromethyl)-2H-indole-2-one); BMS-204352] is an investigational maxi-K channel opener to treat ischemic stroke. This study reports the disposition, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and protein covalent binding of (14)C-labeled MaxiPost in healthy male volunteers as well as in dogs and rats. After each human subject received a single dose of 10 mg (14)C-labeled BMS-204352 (50 microCi) as a 5-ml intravenous infusion lasting 5 min, the plasma radioactivity concentrations showed a unique profile, wherein the concentration appeared to increase initially, followed by a terminal decline. The mean terminal t(1/2) of plasma radioactivity (259 h) was prolonged compared with that of unchanged parent (37 h). Furthermore, the extractability of radioactivity in plasma decreased over time, reaching approximately 20% at 4 h after dosing. The unextractable radioactivity was covalently bound to plasma proteins through a des-fluoro-des-methyl BMS-204352 lysine adduct. Unchanged BMS-204352 and minor metabolites were identified in plasma extract following protein precipitation. The recovery of the radioactive dose in urine and feces was nearly complete in 14-day collections (approximately 37% in urine and 60% in feces). The N-glucuronide of the parent was the prominent metabolite in urine (16.5% of dose), whereas the parent was a major drug-related component in feces (11% of dose). Similar disposition, metabolism, pharmacokinetic, and protein covalent binding properties of (14)C-labeled BMS-204352 were observed in humans, dogs, and rats.

N-Glucuronidation of Carbamazepine in Human Tissues Is Mediated by UGT2B7

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the most widely prescribed anticonvulsants despite a high incidence of idiosyncratic side effects. Metabolism of CBZ is complex, and of the more than 30 metabolites identified, one of the most abundant is CBZ N-glucuronide. To date the uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) isoform responsible for the N-glucuronidation of CBZ has not been identified. We have developed a sensitive liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry assay to quantify CBZ glucuronidation, and we report that CBZ is specifically glucuronidated by human UGT2B7. Kinetics of CBZ glucuronidation in human liver, kidney, and intestine microsomes were consistent with those of recombinant UGT2B7, which displayed a Km value of 214 microM and Vmax value of 0.79 pmol/mg/min. In addition to revealing the isoform responsible for CBZ glucuronidation, this is the first example of primary amine glucuronidation by UGT2B7.