High-throughput cytochrome P450 inhibition screening via cassette probe-dosing strategy. IV. Validation of a direct injection on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous CYP3A4, 2D6 and 2E1 inhibition assessment

A highly efficient direct injection on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometry (DI-GCE/MS/MS) method has been validated for high-throughput evaluation of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, 2D6 and 2E1 inhibition potential via cassette dosing of midazolam, dextromethorphan and chlorzoxazone using human hepatic microsomes and 96-well microtiter plates. Microsomal incubations were terminated with formic acid, centrifuged, and the resulting supernatants were injected for analysis by DI-GCE/MS/MS. Due to the novel use of an extremely short C(18) guard cartridge (4 mm in length), this method exhibits several advantages such as no sample preparation, excellent on-line extraction, short run time (2.5 min), and minimized source contamination and performance deterioration. The DI-GCE/MS/MS method demonstrates acceptable accuracy and precision for the simultaneous quantification of 1'-hydroxymidazolam, dextrorphan and 6-hydroxychlorzoxazone in microsomal incubations. The inhibition potential of CYP3A4, 2D6 and 2E1 has been evaluated using their known selective inhibitors. The IC(50) values measured by the cassette dosing approach (high-throughput) are consistent with those observed by an individual dosing regimen (conventional) and are all in good agreement with the literature values. The results suggest that the cassette probe-dosing strategy may provide an in vitro approach to minimize cost while maximizing throughput of CYP inhibition evaluation of new chemical entities in support of drug discovery and development.     

High-throughput cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibition screening via cassette probe-dosing strategy. I. Development of direct injection/on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometry for the simultaneous detection of CYP probe substrates and their metabolites

A highly efficient direct injection/on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometry (DI-GCE/MS/MS) method utilizing electrospray polarity switching was developed for the simultaneous detection of probe substrates and marker metabolites of seven human hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozymes: CYP1A2, 2A6, 3A4, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 2E1. Microsomal incubations were terminated with formic acid, centrifuged, and the resulting supernatants were injected for analysis by DI-GCE/MS/MS. This method employed an extremely short C(18) cartridge (4 mm in length) which allowed rapid cleanup of sample matrices while retaining the analytes an appropriate time (2. 0-2.2 min). From 1.5 to 2.7 min the effluent was directed to the mass spectrometer for detection otherwise diverted to waste. As a result of the efficient on-line extraction, matrix (e.g., salts and proteins) suppression was minimized. In addition, no visible source contamination was observed and system performance (chromatographic and mass spectrometric) did not significantly deteriorate after 500 consecutive injections. Electrospray polarity switching was strategically executed on a Micromass Quattro II mass spectrometer by establishing dummy ion transitions to protect the analytes from the interference of the overwhelming noise which was unavoidable for the first transition scanned following each polarity switch. This unique strategy led to the simultaneous detection of seven CYP probe substrates and seven corresponding marker metabolites (12 by positive mode and 2 by negative mode).     

High-throughput cytochrome p450 inhibition assays by ultrafast gradient liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry using monolithic columns

A generic method employing ultrafast liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed and employed for routine screening of drug candidates for inhibition of five major human cytochrome p450 (CYP) isozymes, CYP3A4, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP1A2. The method utilized a monolithic silica rod column to allow fast flow rates to significantly reduce chromatographic run time. The major metabolites of six CYP-specific probe substrates for the five p450 isoforms were monitored and quantified to determine IC(50) values of five drug compounds against each p450 isozyme. Human liver microsomal incubation samples at each test compound concentration were combined and analyzed simultaneously by the LC/MS/MS method. Each pooled sample containing six substrates and an internal standard was separated and detected in only 24 seconds. The combination of ultrafast chromatography and sample pooling techniques has significantly increased sample throughput and shortened assay turnaround time, allowing a large number of compounds to be screened rapidly for potential p450 inhibitory activity, to aid in compound selection and optimization in drug discovery.     

乌头类生物碱组分在CYP450中的代谢指纹图谱及对CYP450活性的影响

利用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱(UPLC-MS/MS)的多反应监测(MRM)技术, 结合多探针底物方法, 对单酯型及双酯型乌头类生物碱组分对细胞色素P450(CYP450)亚型的活性影响进行了研究; 同时利用超高效液相色谱-四极杆-飞行时间串联质谱(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS)对单酯型和双酯型乌头类生物碱组分在CYP450中的代谢指纹图谱进行了研究. 活性影响研究结果表明, 单酯型生物碱组分对CYP2C及2D的抑制能力较强, 其IC₅₀值分别为7.44和6.74 μmol/L; 双酯型生物碱组分对CYP1A2, 3A, 2C和2D均有较弱的抑制作用, 其IC₅₀值分别为39.48, 70.44, 17.36和86.04 μmol/L. 代谢指纹图谱显示, 双酯型生物碱组分在大鼠肝微粒体中有6个特异性产物可以作为该反应的特征峰.     

High-throughput caco-2 cell permeability screening by cassette dosing and sample pooling approaches using direct injection/on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometry

A method for high-throughput Caco-2 permeability screening of drug candidates has been developed using thirteen generic drugs as test compounds. The high throughput was achieved by either a sample pooling or a cassette dosing approach, along with the use of a rapid, simple and sensitive direct injection/on-line guard cartridge extraction/tandem mass spectrometric assay that was also developed in this study. It was of concern that possible drug-drug interactions (e.g., inhibition of P-glycoprotein-mediated transport of a drug by another, and/or competition of the drugs for transport pathways), when the cassette dosing regimen was implemented, may give rise to inconsistent results compared with those attained by a traditional single-drug dosing approach. However, the apparent permeability coefficients of the test drugs across Caco-2 monolayers measured by the sample pooling or cassette dosing (up to five drugs co-administered in this study) strategy were in good conformity with the data obtained by single-drug dosing followed by discrete sample analysis.     

UPLC-MS/MS结合多探针底物方法研究刺五加叶中黄酮苷类成分对CYP450活性的影响

利用超高效液相色谱-串联质谱联用(UPLC-MS/MS)的多反应监测(MRM)技术结合多探针底物方法, 研究了刺五加叶中的主要黄酮苷类化合物槲皮苷、金丝桃苷及芦丁对肝细胞色素P450酶(CYP450)亚型CYP1A2, CYP2C, CYP2E1, CYP2D和CYP3A活性的影响. 结果表明, 3种化合物对各CYP亚型酶均有抑制作用, 其中金丝桃苷和槲皮苷对CYP1A2催化的非那西丁的O-脱乙基反应抑制的IC₅₀值分别为46.53和49.75 μmol/L, 金丝桃苷和芦丁对CYP2E1催化的氯唑沙宗的6-羟基化反应抑制的IC₅₀值分别为99.87和86.36 μmol/L. 机理性抑制实验结果表明, 3种化合物对2种亚型酶的抑制作用是随着预孵时间延长而增强的机理性抑制.     

Development and validation of a sensitive and specific LC–MS/MS cocktail assay for CYP450 enzymes: Application to study the effect of catechin on rat hepatic CYP activity

A sensitive and specific liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric (LC–MS/MS) method that enables the simultaneous quantification of probe substrates and metabolites of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes was developed and validated. These substrates (metabolites)—coumarin (7-hydroxycoumarin), tolbutamide (4-hydroxytolbutamide), S-mephenytoin (4-hydroxymephenytoin), dextromethorphan (dextrorphan), and testosterone (6β-hydroxytestosterone)—were utilized as markers for the activities of the major human CYP enzymes CYP2A6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4, respectively. Analytes were separated on Kinetex C₁₈ column (2.1 × 50 mm, 5 μm) using a binary gradient mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile. Metabolites were detected and quantified by MS using multiple reaction monitoring at m/z 163 → 107.2 for 7-hydroxycoumarin, m/z 235 → 150.1 for 4-hydroxymephenytoin, m/z 287 → 171 for 4-hydroxytolbutamide, m/z 258 → 157.1 for dextrorphan, m/z 305 → 269 for 6β-hydroxytestosterone, and m/z 237 → 194 for the internal standard. The assay exhibited good linearity over a range of 10–500 ng/mL with acceptable accuracy and precision criteria. As a proof of concept, the developed cocktail assay was successfully used to examine the potential impact of catechin on the activity of the major rat liver CYP enzymes.     

Liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric determination of inhibition of human cytochrome P450 isozymes by resveratrol and resveratrol-3-sulfate

trans-Resveratrol, a phenolic phytoalexin occurring in grapes, wine, peanuts, and cranberries, has been reported to both have anticarcinogenic, antioxidative, phytoestrogenic, and cardioprotective activities, and to be a weak inhibitor of cytochrome P450 (CYP)3A4, which might have significance for drug-drug interactions. Since trans-resveratrol is rapidly converted in vivo to primarily trans-resveratrol-3-sulfate, a rapid, selective, and sensitive method using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) was developed to investigate human cytochrome P450 inhibition by trans-resveratrol-3-sulfate. Effects of trans-resveratrol and trans-resveratrol-3-sulfate on the metabolism of selective cytochrome P450 substrates (CYP1A2/ethoxyresorufin, CYP2C9/diclofenac, CYP2C19/(S)-mephenytoin, CYP2D6/bufuralol, CYP3A4/testosterone) were monitored using cDNA-expressed human recombinant isozymes. For method validation, LC/MS/MS was used to measure the inhibition of various cytochrome P450 isozymes by different concentrations (0-50 microM) of known selective inhibitors. IC(50) values of 3.2, 1.4, 8.9, 0.2, and 0.3 microM were obtained for the standard isozyme inhibitors CYP1A2/furafylline, CYP2C9/sulfaphenazole, CYP2C19/tranylcypromine, CYP2D6/quinidine, and CYP3A4/ketoconazole, respectively, which were in good agreement with literature values. trans-Resveratrol showed IC(50) values of 11.6 microM for CYP2C19 and 1.1 microM for CYP3A4, but the IC(50) values exceeded 50 microM for all the other CYP isozymes, which indicated no inhibition. No enzyme inhibition was observed for trans-resveratrol-3-sulfate. Our results indicate that trans-resveratrol is a marginal inhibitor of CYP3A4 and a weak inhibitor of CYP2C19, but its major metabolite trans-resveratrol-3-sulfate is not an inhibitor of any of the cytochrome P450 isozymes investigated.     

Comparison of metabolic soft spot predictions of CYP3A4, CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 substrates using MetaSite and StarDrop

Metabolite identification study plays an important role in determining the sites of metabolic liability of new chemical entities (NCEs) in drug discovery for lead optimization. Here we compare the two predictive software, MetaSite and StarDrop, available for this purpose. They work very differently but are used to predict the site of oxidation by major human cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms. Neither software can predict non-CYP catalyzed metabolism nor the rates of metabolism. For the purpose of comparing the two software packages, we tested known probe substrate for these enzymes, which included 12 substrates of CYP3A4 and 18 substrates of CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 were analyzed by each software and the results were compared. It is possible that these known substrates were part of the training set but we are not aware of it. To assess the performance of each software we assigned a point system for each correct prediction. The total points assigned for each CYP isoform experimentally were compared as a percentage of the total points assigned theoretically for the first choice prediction for all substrates for each isoform. Our results show that MetaSite and StarDrop are similar in predicting the correct site of metabolism by CYP3A4 (78% vs 83%, respectively). StarDrop appears to do slightly better in predicting the correct site of metabolism by CYP2C9 and CYP2D6 metabolism (89% and 93%, respectively) compared to MetaSite (63% and 70%, respectively). The sites of metabolism (SOM) from 34 in-house NCEs incubated in human liver microsomes or human hepatocytes were also evaluated using two prediction software packages and the results showed comparable SOM predictions. What makes this comparison challenging is that the contribution of each isoform to the intrinsic clearance (Clint) is not known. Overall the software were comparable except for MetaSite performing better for CYP2D6 and that MetaSite has a liver model that is absent in StarDrop that predicted with 82% accuracy.     

Use of stable isotope labeled probes to facilitate liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry based high‐throughput screening of time‐dependent CYP inhibitors

Inhibition curve shift is a commonly used approach for screening of time‐dependent CYP inhibitors which requires parallel paired incubations to obtain two inhibition curves for comparison. For the control incubation, a test compound is co‐incubated with a probe substrate in human liver microsomes (HLM) fortified with NADPH; for the time‐dependent incubation (TDI), the test compound is pre‐incubated with NADPH‐fortified HLM followed by a secondary incubation with a probe substrate. For both incubations, enzyme activity is measured respectively by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) analysis of the CYP‐specific metabolite, and a TDI inhibitor can be readily identified by inhibition curve shifting as a result of CYP inactivation by the test compound during the pre‐incubation. In the present study, we describe an alternative approach to facilitate TDI screening in which stable isotope labeled CYP‐specific probes are used for the TDI, and non‐labeled substrates are included in the control incubation. Because CYP‐specific metabolites produced in the TDI are stable isotope labeled, two sets of incubation samples can be combined and then simultaneously analyzed by LC/MS/MS in the same batch run to reduce the run time. This new method has been extensively validated using both a number of known competitive and TDI inhibitors specific to five most common CYPs such as 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4. The assay is performed in a 96‐well format and can be fully automated. Compared to the traditional method, this approach in combination with sample pooling and a short LC/MS/MS gradient significantly enhances the throughput of TDI screening and thus can be easily implemented in drug discovery to evaluate a large number of compounds without adding additional resource. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A UPLC-MS/MS assay of the "Pittsburgh cocktail": six CYP probe-drug/metabolites from human plasma and urine using stable isotope dilution

The efficiency of drug metabolism by a single enzyme can be measured as the fractional metabolic clearance which can be used as a measure of whole body activity for that enzyme. Measurement of activity of multiple enzymes simultaneously is feasible using a cocktail approach, however, analytical approach using different assays for drug probes can be cumbersome. A quantitative ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) based method for the rapid measurement of six cytochrome P450 (CYP) probe drugs and their relevant metabolites is described. The six specific probe substrates/metabolites are caffeine/paraxanthine (CYP1A2), flurbiprofen/4'-hydroxyflurbiprofen (CYP2C9), mephenytoin/4'-hydroxymephenytoin (CYP2C19), debrisoquine/4-hydroxydebrisoquine (CYP2D6), chlorzoxazone/6'-hydroxychlorzoxazone (CYP2E1) and dapsone/N-monoacetyldapsone (NAT2). These probes were quantified by stable isotope dilution from plasma and urine. The present workflow provides a robust, fast and sensitive assay for the "Pittsburgh cocktail", and has been successfully applied to a clinical phenotyping study of liver disease. A representative group of 17 controls and patients with chronic liver disease were administered orally caffeine (100 mg), chlorzoxazone (250 mg), debrisoquine (10 mg), mephenytoin (100 mg), flurbiprofen (50 mg) and dapsone (100 mg). Urine (0 through 8 h) and plasma (4 and 8 h) samples were analyzed for drug/metabolite amounts by stable isotope dilution UPLC-MS/MS. The phenotypic activity of drug metabolizing enzymes was investigated with 17 patient samples. Selected reaction monitoring (SRM) was optimized for each drug and metabolite. In the method developed, analytes were resolved by reversed-phase by development of a gradient using a water/methanol solvent system. SRM of each analyte was performed in duplicate on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing an 8 min analytical method each, one with the source operating in the positive mode and one in the negative mode, using the same solvent system. This method enabled quantification of each drug (caffeine, chlorzoxazone, debrisoquine, mephenytoin, flurbiprofen, and dapsone) and its resulting primary metabolite in urine or plasma in patient samples. The method developed and the data herein demonstrate a robust quantitative assay to examine changes in CYP enzymes both independently or as part of a cocktail. The clinical use of a combination of probe drugs with UPLC-MS/MS is a highly efficient tool for the assessment of CYP enzyme activity in liver disease.     

A validated SIM GC/MS method for the simultaneous determination of dextromethorphan and its metabolites dextrorphan, 3‐methoxymorphinan and 3‐hydroxymorphinan in biological matrices and its application to in vitro CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 inhibition study

Dextromethorphan is used as a probe drug for assessing CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 activity in vivo and in vitro. A SIM GC/MS method without derivatization for the simultaneous determination of dextromethorphan and its metabolites, dextrorphan, 3‐methoxymorphinan and 3‐hydroxymorphinan, in human plasma, urine and in vitro incubation matrix was developed and validated. Calibration curves indicated good linearity with a coefficient of variation (r) better than 0.995. The lower limit of quantitation was found to be 10 ng/mL for all analytes in all matrices. Intra‐day and inter‐day precision for dextromethorphan and its metabolites was better than 9.02 and 9.91%, respectively and accuracy ranged between 91.76 and 106.27%. Recovery for dextromethorphan, its metabolites and internal standard levallorphan was greater than 72.68%. The method has been successfully applied for the in vitro inhibition of metabolism of dextromethorphan by CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 using known inhibitors of CYPs such as quinidine and verapamil. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A sensitive and high‐throughput LC‐MS/MS method for inhibition assay of seven major cytochrome P450s in human liver microsomes using an in vitro cocktail of probe substrates

A sensitive and high‐throughput LC‐MS/MS method was established and validated for the simultaneous quantification of seven probe substrate‐derived metabolites (cocktail assay) for assessing the in vitro inhibition of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes in pooled human liver microsomes. The metabolites acetaminophen (CYP1A2), hydroxy‐bupropion (CYP2B6), n‐desethyl‐amodiaquine (CYP2C8), 4′‐hydroxy‐diclofenac (CYP2C9), 4′‐hydroxy‐mephenytoin (CYP2C19), dextrorphan (CYP2D6) and 1′‐hydroxy‐midazolam (CYP3A4/5), together with the internal standard verapamil, were eluted on an Agilent 1200 series liquid chromatograph in <7 min. All metabolites were detected by an Agilent 6410B tandem mass spectrometer. The concentration of each probe substrate was selected by substrate inhibition assay that reduced potential substrate interactions. CYP inhibition of seven well‐known inhibitors was confirmed by comparing a single probe substrate assay with cocktail assay. The IC₅₀ values of these inhibitors determined on this cocktail assay were highly correlated (R² > 0.99 for each individual probe substrate) with those on single assay. The method was selective and showed good accuracy (85.89–113.35%) and between‐day (RSD <13.95%) and within‐day (RSD <9.90%) precision. The sample incubation extracts were stable at 25 °C for 48 h and after three freeze–thaw cycles. This seven‐CYP inhibition cocktail assay significantly increased the efficiency of accurately assessing compounds’ potential inhibition of the seven major CYPs in drug development settings. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A high‐throughput inhibition screening of major human cytochrome P450 enzymes using an in vitro cocktail and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and high‐throughput inhibition screening liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous quantification of five probe metabolites (7‐hydroxycoumarin, CYP2A6; 4‐hydroxytolbutamide, CYP2C9; 4′‐hydroxymephenytoin, CYP2C19; α‐hydroxymetoprolol, CYP2D6; and 1‐hydroxymidazolam, CYP3A4) for in vitro cytochrome P450 activity determination in human liver microsome and recombinant. All the metabolites and the internal standard, tramadol, were separated on a Waters 2695 series liquid chromatograph with a Phenomenex Luna C₁₈ column (150 × 2.0 mm, 5 µm). Quality control samples and a positive control CYP inhibitor were included in the method. The IC₅₀ values determined for typical CYP inhibitors were reproducible and in agreement with the literature. The method was selective and showed good accuracy (99.13–103.37%), and inter‐day (RSD < 6.20%) and intra‐day (RSD < 6.13%) precision. Also, the incubation extracts of the sample were stable at room temperature (20 °C) for 48 h and for 96 h in the autosampler (4 °C). The presented method is the first HPLC‐MS/MS method of this combination for simultaneous detection of the five metabolites 7‐hydroxycoumarin, 4‐hydroxytolbutamide, 4′‐hydroxymephenytoin, α‐hydroxymetoprolol and 1‐hydroxymidazolam in a single‐run process. It is possible that the high‐quality and ‐throughput cocktail provides suitable information in drug discovery and screening for new drug entities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vivo evaluation of CYP1A2, CYP2A6, NAT-2 and xanthine oxidase activities in a Greek population sample by the RP-HPLC monitoring of caffeine metabolic ratios

A RP-HPLC method was developed for the assessment of caffeine and its metabolites in urine and was used for the evaluation of the CYP1A2, CYP2A6, xanthine oxidase (XO) and N-acetyl-transferase-2 (NAT-2) in vivo activities in 44 Greek volunteers (21 men, 23 women). Spot urine samples were analyzed 6 h after 200 mg caffeine consumption, following a 30 h methylxantine-free diet. The major urinary caffeine metabolites are 1-methyluric acid (1U), 5-acetylamino-6-formylamino-3-methyluracil (AFMU), 1-methylxanthine (1X), 1,7-dimethyluric acid (17U) and 1,7-dimethylxanthine (17X). CYP1A2, CYP2A6, XO and NAT-2 activities were estimated from the metabolic ratios (AFMU + 1U + 1X)/17U, 17U/17X, 1U/(1X + 1U) and AFMU/(AFMU + 1U + 1X), respectively. Metabolites and internal standard were extracted with chloroform/isopropanol (85:15, v/v) and separated on a C18 column by an isocratic HPLC system using a two-step elution with manual switch from solvent A (0.1% acetic acid-methanol-acetonitrile, 92:4:5 v/v) to solvent B (0.1% acetic acid-methanol, 60:40, v/v), and detected at 280 nm. The method exhibited adequate metabolite separation (resolution factors >1.48), accuracy (94.1-106.3%) and intraday and interday precision <8.02 and <8.78%, respectively (n = 6). Smoking affected only CYP1A2, whereas gender had no effect in any enzyme activity. NAT-2 exhibited bimodal distribution, 63.6% of volunteers being slow acetylators. The developed RP-HPLC method was fully validated and successfully applied for the evaluation of CYP1A2, CYP2A6, XO and NAT-2 activities.     

Application of a generic fast gradient liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the analysis of cytochrome P450 probe substrates

A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method has been developed for the fast routine analysis of selected CYP450 probe substrate metabolites in microsomal incubations, with no sample pretreatment. This has allowed fast and simple assessment of the potential effects which drug candidates may or may not have on the metabolism of specific CYP450 probe substrates, providing information which can then be used to rationalize in vivo interaction studies required in the clinic. This methodology takes advantage of fast gradient chromatography as a generic means of sample separation and analysis. It provides high throughput analysis compared to conventional gradient HPLC, with no significant loss in chromatographic performance. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phenotyping of CYP450 in human liver microsomes using the cocktail approach

The cocktail approach is an advantageous strategy used to monitor the activities of several cytochromes P450 (CYPs) in a single test to increase the throughput of in vitro phenotyping studies. In this study, a cocktail mixture was developed with eight CYP-specific probe substrates to simultaneously evaluate the activity of the most important CYPs, namely, CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, and the CYP3A subfamily. After cocktail incubation in the presence of human liver microsomes (HLMs), the eight selected substrates and their specific metabolites were analyzed by ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Qualitative and quantitative data were simultaneously acquired to produce an overview of the extended phase I biotransformation routes for each probe substrate in the HLMs and to generate phenotypic profiles of various HLMs. A comparison of the cocktail strategy with an individual substrate assay for each CYP produced similar results. Moreover, the cocktail was tested on HLMs with different allelic variants and/or in the presence of selective inhibitors. The results were in agreement with the genetic polymorphisms of the CYPs and the expected effect of the alterations. All of these experiments confirmed the reliability of this cocktail assay for phenotyping of the microsomal CYPs.     

Validation of higher-throughput high-performance liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry assays to conduct cytochrome P450s CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 enzyme inhibition studies in human liver microsomes

In the early stage of drug discovery, thousands of new chemical entities (NCEs) may be screened before a single drug candidate can be identified for development. In order to accelerate the drug discovery process, we have developed higher-throughput enzyme assays to evaluate the inhibition of cytochrome P450 isoforms 2D6 (CYP2D6) and 3A4 (CYP3A4) in human liver microsomes. The assays are based on high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) techniques. The analysis time for each sample was reduced from approximately 20 minutes for the conventional HPLC assay to 30 seconds for the LC/MS/MS assay. For both LC/MS/MS assays, the linearity (r(2) > 0.99), precision (%CV < 15%) and accuracy (% bias <15%) for both inter- and intraday validations were satisfactory. Since the implementation of the LC/MS/MS assays, our sample throughput has increased by over 40-fold.     

Predictive models for cytochrome p450 isozymes based on quantitative high throughput screening data

The human cytochrome P450 (CYP450) isozymes are the most important enzymes in the body to metabolize many endogenous and exogenous substances including environmental toxins and therapeutic drugs. Any unnecessary interactions between a small molecule and CYP450 isozymes may raise a potential to disarm the integrity of the protection. Accurately predicting the potential interactions between a small molecule and CYP450 isozymes is highly desirable for assessing the metabolic stability and toxicity of the molecule. The National Institutes of Health Chemical Genomics Center (NCGC) has screened a collection of over 17,000 compounds against the five major isozymes of CYP450 (1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4) in a quantitative high throughput screening (qHTS) format. In this study, we developed support vector classification (SVC) models for these five isozymes using a set of customized generic atom types. The CYP450 data sets were randomly split into equal-sized training and test sets. The optimized SVC models exhibited high predictive power against the test sets for all five CYP450 isozymes with accuracies of 0.93, 0.89, 0.89, 0.85, and 0.87 for 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4, respectively, as measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The important atom types and features extracted from the five models are consistent with the structural preferences for different CYP450 substrates reported in the literature. We also identified novel features with significant discerning power to separate CYP450 actives from inactives. These models can be useful in prioritizing compounds in a drug discovery pipeline or recognizing the toxic potential of environmental chemicals.     

Fragmentation study of imatinib and characterization of new imatinib metabolites by liquid chromatography-triple-quadrupole and linear ion trap mass spectrometers

Imatinib (Gleevec) is an anticancer drug that inhibits specific protein kinases involved in cell proliferation. Whereas this drug is considered to have opened a new era, various mechanisms of resistance have been associated with imatinib relapse. Drug disposition in cancer cells including influx, efflux and drug metabolism is one mechanism that remains to be more thoroughly investigated. Moreover, recent genomic studies have revealed that some isozymes of cytochrome P450 (CYP) are possibly associated with the treatment outcome. Therefore, this research paper investigates the role of the activity of CYP1A1, 1A2, 1B1, 3A4, 4F2 and 4F3A/B on the fate of imatinib. First, a study of imatinib fragmentation was effected using electrospray triple-quadrupole and linear ion trap tandem mass spectrometers (MSn). Accurate mass determinations were performed at enhanced mass resolution for the identification of some product ions that were not predicted by two fragmentation softwares. Whereas the quadrupole MS was not designed for accurate mass measurement, delta mass errors were below 20 ppm. Then, a biotransformation study was effected in vitro. Imatinib metabolites were produced in microsomal incubations containing CYP isozymes. Imatinib and metabolites were extracted from incubation mixtures by protein precipitation, and supernatants were injected into a liquid chromatography equipment coupled with MS(n). Hydrophobic interaction liquid chromatography resolved one demethylated-, two hydroxy- and three N-oxide metabolites. Various rates of metabolite formation were observed between CYP isozymes. Liquid chromatography with deuterium oxide-containing mobile phase (H/D exchange) or incorporation of (18)O from H(2) (18)O added in the incubations was performed to elucidate the metabolite structure. Various MS(n) product scans (n < or = 4) were acquired on the linear ion trap or on the triple-quadrupole MS. Postulated structures of new metabolites are addressed.