Chamaechromone is a major component in the dried roots of Stellera chamaejasme with antihepatitis B virus and insecticidal activity. In this study, metabolic profiles of chamaechromone were investigated in human liver microsomes. One monohydroxide and two monoglucuronides of chamaechromone were identified. The enzyme kinetics for both hydroxylation and glucuronidation were fitted to the Michaelis-Menten equation. The hydroxylation of chamaechromone was inhibited by α-naphthoflavone, and predominantly catalyzed by recombinant human cytochrome P450 1A2, whereas the glucuronidation was inhibited by quercetin, 1-naphthol, and fluconazole, and mainly catalyzed by recombinant human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A3, 1A7, 1A9, and 2B7.
Key wordsStellera chamaejasme · Thymelaeaceae · chamaechromone · metabolite · in vitro · human liver microsomes · recombinant human enzymes Abbreviations ! CL int : intrinsic clearance DDI: drug-drug interaction hCYP: human cytochrome P450 HLMs: human liver microsomes hUGT: human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase K m : Michaelis constant UDPGA: UDP-glucuronic acid UPLC Q-TOF MS: ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry V max : maximal velocity of formation Supporting information available online at http://www.thieme-connect.de/ejournals/toc/plantamedica Stellera chamaejasme L. (Thymelaeaceae) is a toxic perennial herb. Its root is known as Langdu and is described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia [1] as having antiviral [2, 3], antitumor [4], antibacterial [5], immunomodulatory [6], and insecticidal effects [7, 8]. The use of Langdu along with various clinically prescribed drugs may result in a herb-drug interaction or Langdu toxicity [9]. Chamaechromone, a biflavone, is one of the major active constituents of the dried roots of S. chamaejasme [10]. The range of chamaechromoneʼs biological effects, such as its anti-HBV effect and insecticidal activity [2, 7], may explain the widespread use of Langdu. The pathways of biflavone metabolism are relatively limited compared to monomeric flavones [11]. Few studies have reported the metabolic characteristics of chamaechromone in human liver microsomes (HLMs). We estimated the oral bioavailability of chamaechromone in rats to be 8.9 % in our previous study [12]. Our follow-up study further established the metabolites of chamaechromone in the rat and in the rat liver S9 fraction [13]. However, humans and animals may display markedly different metabolic profiles with regard to the composition of different isoforms, and the expression and catalytic activities of drug-metabolizing enzymes [14]. Furthermore, HLMs and recombinant enzymes are useful in vitro tools for the prediction of drug-metabolism pathways in vivo in humans and for the identification of specific enzymes involved in these pathways. They also offer valuable insights into potential clinical drug-drug interactions [15]. They may also potentially reduce the use of animals and provide an easy drug-metabolizing enzyme assay protocol. In view of these advantages...