This study explored the effects of cucurbitacin E (CuE), a bioactive compound from Cucurbitaceae, on the metabolism/ pharmacokinetic of tolbutamide, a model CYP2C9/11 probe substrate, and hepatic CYP2C11 expression in rats. Liquid chromatography-(tandem) mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay was used to detect tolbutamide as well as 4-hydroxytolbutamide, and then successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of tolbutamide in rats. , i.p.) for 3 d did not affect CYP2C11 expression. These findings demonstrated that CuE competitively inhibited the metabolism of CYP2C11 substrates but had no effect on rat CYP2C11 expression. This study may provide a useful reference for the reasonable and safe use of herbal or natural products containing CuE to avoid unnecessary drug-drug interactions.
cucurbitacin E, CYP2C11, LC-MS/MS, pharmacokinetic, tolbutamide
Citation:Lu J, Ding TG, Qin X, Liu MY, Wang X. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of cucurbitacin E on rat hepatic CYP2C11 expression and activity using LC-MS/MS. Sci China Life Sci, 2017, 60: 215-224,