Induction of Cytochrome P450 1A1 in Mice by Repeated Oral Administration of Propranolol

Biological fate and effects of propranolol in an experimental aquatic food chain

The aim of this study was to evaluate the trophic transfer of the β-blocker propranolol (PRP) in an experimental aquatic food chain involving the green algae Scenedesmus obliquus, the water flea Daphnia magna and the crucian carp Carassius auratus, as well as the metabolism and effects of PRP in the liver of crucian carp. After a 48 h PRP aqueous exposure for algae, with a subsequent 48 h dietary exposure for daphnia and an 8d dietary exposure for crucian carp, PRP was observed in each trophic level, despite significant bioaccumulation did not occur in daphnia and crucian carp. A portion of the absorbed PRP was metabolized by the crucian carp to N-desisopropylated propranolol, propranolol glucuronic acid, monohydroxylated propranolol, hydroxypropranolol glucuronide and dihydroxypropranolol glucuronide, which were similar to those in mammals. In addition, multiple biomarkers in the liver of crucian carp (7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, EROD; 7-benzyloxyresorufin O-dealkylation, BROD; superoxide dismutase, SOD and malondialdehyde, MDA) were measured. BROD and MDA were not significantly affected by PRP, while EROD and SOD did change significantly during the 8d dietary exposure. This work indicated that the trophic transfer of PRP, resulting in biochemical perturbations of fish biological systems, should be a concern for the assessment of the environmental risks to aquatic food chains.

In vivo and in vitro liver and gill EROD activity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) exposed to the beta-blocker propranolol

The conservation of common physiological systems across vertebrate classes suggests the potential for certain pharmaceuticals, which have been detected in surface waters, to produce biological effects in nontarget vertebrates such as fish. However, previous studies assessing the effects of such compounds in fish have not taken into account the potential for metabolism and elimination. This study aimed to assess if propranolol, a β-adrenergic receptor antagonist or β-blocker, could modulate EROD activity (indicative of CYP1A activity) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) gills and liver. For this, an in vivo time course exposure with 1 mg/L was conducted. Additionally, using measured in vivo plasma concentrations, an in vitro exposure at human therapeutic levels was undertaken. This allowed comparison of in vitro and in vivo rates of EROD activity, thus investigating the applicability of cell preparations as surrogates for whole animal enzyme activity analysis. In vitro exposure of suspended liver and gill cells at concentrations similar to in vivo levels resulted in EROD activity in both tissues, but with significantly higher rates (up to six times in vivo levels). These results show that propranolol exposure elevated EROD activity in the liver and gill of rainbow trout, and that this is demonstrable both in vivo (albeit nonsignificantly in the liver) and in vitro, thus supporting the use of the latter as a surrogate of the former. These data also provide an insight into the potential role of the gill as a site of metabolism of pharmaceuticals in trout, suggesting that propranolol (and feasibly other pharmaceuticals) may undergo "first pass" metabolism in this organ.

Drug-induced changes in P450 enzyme expression at the gene expression level: a new dimension to the analysis of drug-drug interactions

Drug-drug interactions (DDIs) caused by direct chemical inhibition of key drug-metabolizing cytochrome P450 enzymes by a co-administered drug have been well documented and well understood. However, many other well-documented DDIs cannot be so readily explained. Recent investigations into drug and other xenobiotic-mediated expression changes of P450 genes have broadened our understanding of drug metabolism and DDI. In order to gain additional information on DDI, we have integrated existing information on drugs that are substrates, inhibitors, or inducers of important drug-metabolizing P450s with new data on drug-mediated expression changes of the same set of cytochrome P450s from a large-scale microarray gene expression database of drug-treated rat tissues. Existing information on substrates and inhibitors has been updated and reorganized into drug-cytochrome P450 matrices in order to facilitate comparative analysis of new information on inducers and suppressors. When examined at the gene expression level, a total of 119 currently marketed drugs from 265 examined were found to be cytochrome P450 inducers, and 83 were found to be suppressors. The value of this new information is illustrated with a more detailed examination of the DDI between PPARalpha agonists and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. This paper proposes that the well-documented, but poorly understood, increase in incidence of rhabdomyolysis when a PPARalpha agonist is co-administered with a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor is at least in part the result of PPARalpha-induced general suppression of drug metabolism enzymes in liver. The authors believe this type of information will provide insights to other poorly understood DDI questions and stimulate further laboratory and clinical investigations on xenobiotic-mediated induction and suppression of drug metabolism.