This study aimed to evaluate endogenous metabolic markers of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A activity in healthy subjects using a metabolomics approach. Twenty-four subjects received the following medication during the following three study periods: 1 mg of i.v. midazolam alone (control phase), 1 mg of i.v. midazolam after 4 days of pretreatment with 400 mg of ketoconazole once daily (CYP3A-inhibited phase), and 2.5 mg of i.v. midazolam after 10 days of pretreatment with 600 mg of rifampicin once daily (CYP3A-induced phase). During each study period, 24 h before and after the administration of midazolam, urine samples were collected at 12-h intervals for metabolomic analyses. We derived an equation to predict midazolam clearance (CL) based on several of these markers. We demonstrated that a combination of the concentrations and ratios of several endogenous metabolites and the CYP3A5*3 genotype is a reliable predictive marker of hepatic CYP3A activity as assessed by i.v. administration of midazolam.

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