Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is a pivotal enzyme responsible for a major human drug oxidation polymorphism in human populations. Distribution of CYP2D6 in brain and its role in serotonin metabolism suggest this CYP2D6 may have a function in central nervous system. To establish an efficient and accurate platform for the study of CYP2D6 in vivo, a transgenic human CYP2D6 (Tg-2D6) model was generated by transgenesis in wild-type C57BL/6 (WT) mice using a P1 phage artificial chromosome clone containing the complete human CYP2D locus, including CYP2D6 gene and 5’- and 3’- flanking sequences. Human CYP2D6 was expressed not only in the liver, but also in brain. The abundance of serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in brain of Tg-2D6 is higher than in WT mice either basal levels or after harmaline induction. Metabolomics of brain homogenate and cerebrospinal fluid revealed a significant up-regulation of l-carnitine, acetyl-l-carnitine, pantothenic acid, dCDP, anandamide, N-acetylglucosaminylamine, and a down-regulation of stearoyl-l-carnitine in Tg-2D6 mice compared with WT mice. Anxiety tests indicate Tg-2D6 mice have a higher capability to adapt to anxiety. Overall, these findings indicate that the Tg-2D6 mouse model may serve as a valuable in vivo tool to determine CYP2D6-involved neurophysiological metabolism and function.

Osthole (Ost), one of the major components of Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson, is had the structure of an isopentenoxy-coumarin with a range of pharmacological activities. In the present study, the metabolism of Ost in male Sprague-Dawley rats was investigated by identifying Ost metabolites excreted in rat urine. Following an oral dose of 40 mg/kg Ost, 10 phase I and 3 phase II metabolites were isolated from the urine of rats, and their structures identified on the basis of a range of spectroscopic data, including 2D-NMR techniques. These metabolites were fully characterized as 5'-hydroxyl-osthole (M-1), osthenol (M-2), 4'-hydroxyl-osthole (M-3), 3, 5'-dihydroxyl-osthole (M-4), 5'-hydroxyl-osthenol (M-5), 4'-hydroxyl-2', 3'-dihydro-osthenol (M-6), 4'-hydroxyl-osthenol (M-7), 3, 4'-dihydroxyl-osthole (M-8), 2', 3'-dihydroxyl-osthole (M-9), 5'-hydroxyl-2', 3'-dihydroosthole (M-10), osthenol-7-O-β-D-glucuronide (M-11), osthole-4'-O-β-D-glucuronide (M-12) and osthole-5'-O-β-D-glycuronate (M-13). This is the first identification of M-1, M-3 to M-13 in vivo. On the basis of the metabolites profile, a possible metabolic pathway for Ost metabolism in rats has been proposed. This is the first systematic study on the phases I and II metabolites of 8-isopentenoxy-coumarin derivative.

ABSTRACT:Considerable unexplained intersubject variability in the debrisoquine metabolic ratio (urinary debrisoquine/4-hydroxydebrisoquine) exists within individual CYP2D6 genotypes. We speculated that debrisoquine was converted to as yet undisclosed metabolites. Thirteen healthy young volunteers, nine CYP2D6*1 homozygotes [extensive metabolizers (EMs)] and four CYP2D6*4 homozygotes [poor metabolizers (PMs)] took 12.8 mg of debrisoquine hemisulfate by mouth and collected 0-to 8-and 8-to 24-h urines, which were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) before and after treatment with ␤-glucuronidase. Authentic 3,4-dehydrodebrisoquine was synthesized and characterized by GCMS, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and 1 H NMR. 3,4-Dehydrodebrisoquine is a novel metabolite of debrisoquine excreted variably in 0-to 24-h urine, both in EMs (3.1-27.6% of dose) and PMs (0-2.1% of dose). This metabolite is produced from 4-hydroxydebrisoquine in vitro by human and rat liver microsomes. A previously unstudied CYP2D6*1 homozygote was administered 10.2 mg of 4-hydroxydebrisoquine orally and also excreted 3,4-dehydrodebrisoquine. EMs excreted 6-hydroxydebrisoquine (0-4.8%) and 8-hydroxydebrisoquine (0-1.3%), but these phenolic metabolites were not detected in PM urine. Debrisoquine and 4-hydroxydebrisoquine glucuronides were excreted in a highly genotype-dependent manner. A microsomal activity that probably does not involve cytochrome P450 participates in the further metabolism of 4-hydroxydebrisoquine, which we speculate may also lead to the formation of 1-and 3-hydroxy-debrisoquine and their ringopened products. In conclusion, this study suggests that the traditional metabolic ratio is not a true measure of the debrisoquine 4-hydroxylation capacity of an individual and thus may, in part, explain the wide intragenotype variation in metabolic ratio.Debrisoquine (3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-isoquinoline carboxamidine) sulfate was patented in the United States by Hoffmann-La Roche in 1964(Wenner, 1964 and immediately went into clinical trials as an antihypertensive agent (Talbot, 1965;Rosendorff et al., 1968;Somers et al., 1968;Blechman et al., 1969). Surprisingly, at the time of its launch, little, if anything was known about the metabolic disposition of debrisoquine. Workers at Hoffmann-La Roche UK (Allen et al., 1975) reported on a study in which 14 C-labeled debrisoquine was administered to rats (50 mg/kg) and a single hypertensive patient (2.6 mg, on top of 15 mg q.d.s. therapeutic dose). Debrisoquine was excreted unchanged in urine of both human and rat, together with 4-hydroxydebrisoquine as the major metabolite, and traces of the phenolic metabolites 5-, 6-, 7-, and 8-hydroxydebrisoquine. In addition, both rats and humans excrete 10 to 15% of the dose as two ring-opened acidic metabolites, presumed to arise from hydroxylation of debrisoquine in positions 1 and 3 (Fig. 1A). The nature of these metabolites was subsequently confirmed (Allen et al., 1976;Eiermann et al., 1998). For the rat, 70% of the adminis...

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