Quantitative analysis of 4ß- and 4α­hydroxycholesterol in human plasma and serum by UHPLC/ESI-HR-MS.

Cholesterol oxidation product 4ß­hydroxycholesterol (4ß­OHC) may possibly be used as an endogenous biomarker of CYP3A enzyme activity and as CYP3A4 is involved in the metabolism of approximately 50% of the drugs in clinical use, the monitoring of CYP3A activity by 4ß­OHC plasma or serum levels, may be of clinical significance. The plasma and serum concentrations of 4α­hydroxycholesterol (4α­OHC), an isomer of 4ß­OHC, increase during uncontrolled storage conditions and therefore serve as an indicator of proper handling of samples. A sensitive and simple high-throughput method for the simultaneous quantification of both 4α­OHC and 4ß­OHC in human plasma and serum was developed utilizing ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/ESI-HR-MS). The chromatographic analysis was carried out on a Waters HSS T3 C18 reversed phase column with a mobile phase composed of 0,1% formic acid with 200 mg/l sodium acetate, and methanol. 4ß­OHC and 4α­OHC and also internal standard d7­4ß­OHC were monitored using HR-MS as sodium adducts, which could not be used as a precursor ions in conventional tandem mass spectrometry methods due to their extensive stability in collision for MS/MS. The use of HR-MS detection enabled avoiding laborious sample derivatization, which is required with triple quadrupole mass spectrometer-based methods to achieve adequate analytical sensitivity for 4ß­OHC, as the underivatized molecule is otherwise poorly ionized to other molecular ions than sodium adduct. Chromatographic separation of 4α­OHC and 4ß­OHC was obtained and confirmed with standard samples prepared in blank surrogate matrix. The lower limits of quantitation in the assay were 0.5 ng/ml for 4ß­OHC, and 2 ng/ml for 4α­OHC. Endogenous levels of 4ß­OHC can vary between 10 and 100 ng/ml depending on the possible induction or inhibition of CYP3A4, whereas the levels of 4α­OHC can vary between 5 and 100 ng/ml, depending on the storage conditions of the samples. Thus, the sensitivity of the assay developed allows for the simultaneous measurement of endogenous levels of 4α­OHC and 4ß­OHC cost-effectively and with high throughput. The method was successfully used for the determination of 4ß­OHC and 4α­OHC concentrations in clinical plasma and serum samples collected before and after treatment with a known CYP3A4 inducer rifampicin. The endogenous levels in clinical human samples before treatment varied between 13.4 and 31.9 ng/ml for 4ß­OHC, and between 3.53 and 5.65 ng/ml for 4α­OHC, and a three-fold increase in 4ß­OHC plasma levels was observed after the rifampicin treatment, while 4α­OHC levels remained unaffected.

Intestinal microbiome as a risk factor for urinary tract infections in children.

As urinary tract infection (UTI) pathogens originate from the gut, we hypothesized that the gut environment reflected by intestinal microbiome influences the risk of UTI. Our prospective case-control study compared the intestinal microbiomes of 37 children with a febrile UTI with those of 69 healthy children. We sequenced the regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and used the LefSe algorithm to calculate the size of the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect. We measured fecal lactoferrin and iron concentrations and quantitative PCR for Escherichia coli. At the phylum level, there were no significant differences. At the genus level, Enterobacter was more abundant in UTI patients with an LDA score > 3 (log 10), while Peptostreptococcaceae were more abundant in healthy subjects with an LDA score > 3 (log 10). In total, 20 OTUs with significantly different abundances were observed. Previous use of antimicrobials did not associate with intestinal microbiome. The relative abundance of E. coli was 1.9% in UTI patients and 0.5% in controls (95% CI of the difference-0.8 to 3.6%). The mean concentration of E.coli in quantitative PCR was 0.14 ng/µl in the patients and 0.08 ng/µl in the controls (95% CI of the difference-0.04 to 0.16). Fecal iron and lactoferrin concentrations were similar between the groups. At the family and genus level, we noted several differences in the intestinal microbiome between children with UTI and healthy children, which may imply that the gut environment is linked with the risk of UTI in children.

Bridged Epipolythiodiketopiperazines from Penicillium raciborskii, an Endophytic Fungus of Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja.

Three new epithiodiketopiperazine natural products [outovirin A (1), outovirin B (2), and outovirin C (3)] resembling the antifungal natural product gliovirin have been identified in extracts of Penicillium raciborskii, an endophytic fungus isolated from Rhododendron tomentosum. The compounds are unusual for their class in that they possess sulfide bridges between α- and ß-carbons rather than the typical α-α bridging. To our knowledge, outovirin A represents the first reported naturally produced epimonothiodiketopiperazine, and antifungal outovirin C is the first reported trisulfide gliovirin-like compound. This report describes the identification and structural elucidation of the compounds by LC-MS/MS and NMR.

Tandem mass spectrometric analysis of S- and N-linked glutathione conjugates of pulegone and menthofuran and identification of P450 enzymes mediating their formation.

RATIONALE: Menthofuran is a hepatotoxin and a major metabolite of pulegone, a monoterpene found in the essential oils of many mint species. It is bioactivated by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes to reactive metabolites, which may further react with glutathione to form S-linked and N-linked conjugates. The tandem mass spectrometric (MS/MS) fragmentation pathways of rarely observed N-linked conjugates, and the differences to fragmentation of S-linked conjugates, have not been reported in the literature previously, although this information is essential to enable comprehensive MS/MS-based screening methods covering the both types of conjugates. METHODS: (R)-(+)-Pulegone, (S)-(-)-pulegone, and menthofuran were incubated with a human liver S9 fraction with glutathione (GSH) as the trapping agent. Conjugates were searched with ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)/orbitrap MS and their MS/MS spectra were measured both in the negative and positive ionization polarities. Menthofuran was also incubated with recombinant human CYP enzymes and GSH to elucidate the CYPs responsible for the formation of the reactive metabolites. RESULTS: Four GSH conjugates of menthofuran were detected and identified as S- and N-linked conjugates based on MS/MS spectra. N-linked conjugates lacked the characteristic fragments of S-linked conjugates and commonly produced fragments that retained parts of glutamic acid. CYP1A2, 2B6 and 3A4 were observed to produce more GSH conjugates than other CYP isoforms. CONLUSIONS: Furans can form reactive aldehydes that react in Schiff-base fashion with the free glutamyl-amine of GSH to form N-linked conjugates that have distinct MS/MS spectra from S-linked adducts. This should be taken into account when setting up LC/MS/MS-based detection of glutathione conjugates to screen for reactive metabolites, at least for compounds with a furan moiety. Neutral loss scanning of 178.0412 Da and 290.0573 Da in the positive ionization mode, or neutral loss scanning of 256.0695 Da and 290.0573 Da and precursor ion scanning of m/z 143.0462 in the negative ionization mode, is recommended. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Methyl-esterified 3-hydroxybutyrate oligomers protect bacteria from hydroxyl radicals.

Bacteria rely mainly on enzymes, glutathione and other low-molecular weight thiols to overcome oxidative stress. However, hydroxyl radicals are the most cytotoxic reactive oxygen species, and no known enzymatic system exists for their detoxification. We now show that methyl-esterified dimers and trimers of 3-hydroxybutyrate (ME-3HB), produced by bacteria capable of polyhydroxybutyrate biosynthesis, have 3-fold greater hydroxyl radical-scavenging activity than glutathione and 11-fold higher activity than vitamin C or the monomer 3-hydroxybutyric acid. We found that ME-3HB oligomers protect hypersensitive yeast deletion mutants lacking oxidative stress-response genes from hydroxyl radical stress. Our results show that phaC and phaZ, encoding polymerase and depolymerase, respectively, are activated and polyhydroxybutyrate reserves are degraded for production of ME-3HB oligomers in bacteria infecting plant cells and exposed to hydroxyl radical stress. We found that ME-3HB oligomer production is widespread, especially in bacteria adapted to stressful environments. We discuss how ME-3HB oligomers could provide opportunities for numerous applications in human health.

Pan-genotypic Hepatitis C Virus Inhibition by Natural Products Derived from the Wild Egyptian Artichoke.

UNLABELLED: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of chronic liver diseases. Water extracts of the leaves of the wild Egyptian artichoke (WEA) [Cynara cardunculus L. var. sylvestris (Lam.) Fiori] have been used for centuries in the Sinai Peninsula to treat hepatitis symptoms. Here we isolated and characterized six compounds from the water extracts of WEA and evaluated their HCV inhibition capacities in vitro. Importantly, two of these compounds, grosheimol and cynaropicrin, inhibited HCV with half-maximal effective concentrations (EC50s) in the low micromolar range. They inhibited HCV entry into target cells and were active against both cell-free infection as well as cell-cell transmission. Furthermore, the antiviral activity of both compounds was pan-genotypic as HCV genotypes 1a, 1b, 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, and 7a were inhibited. Thus, grosheimol and cynaropicrin are promising candidates for the development of new pan-genotypic entry inhibitors of HCV infection. IMPORTANCE: Because there is no preventive HCV vaccine available today, the discovery of novel anti-HCV cell entry inhibitors could help develop preventive measures against infection. The present study describes two compounds isolated from the wild Egyptian artichoke (WEA) with respect to their structural elucidation, absolute configuration, and quantitative determination. Importantly, both compounds inhibited HCV infection in vitro. The first compound was an unknown molecule, and it was designated "grosheimol," while the second compound is the known molecule cynaropicrin. Both compounds belong to the group of sesquiterpene lactones. The mode of action of these compounds occurred during the early steps of the HCV life cycle, including cell-free and cell-cell infection inhibition. These natural compounds present promising candidates for further development into anti-HCV therapeutics.

Toxicity of Carboxylic Acid-Containing Drugs: The Role of Acyl Migration and CoA Conjugation Investigated.

Many carboxylic acid-containing drugs are associated with idiosyncratic drug toxicity (IDT), which may be caused by reactive acyl glucuronide metabolites. The rate of acyl migration has been earlier suggested as a predictor of acyl glucuronide reactivity. Additionally, acyl Coenzyme A (CoA) conjugates are known to be reactive. Here, 13 drugs with a carboxylic acid moiety were incubated with human liver microsomes to produce acyl glucuronide conjugates for the determination of acyl glucuronide half-lives by acyl migration and with HepaRG cells to monitor the formation of acyl CoA conjugates, their further conjugate metabolites, and trans-acylation products with glutathione. Additionally, in vitro cytotoxicity and mitochondrial toxicity experiments were performed with HepaRG cells to compare the predictability of toxicity. Clearly, longer acyl glucuronide half-lives were observed for safe drugs compared to drugs that can cause IDT. Correlation between half-lives and toxicity classification increased when "relative half-lives," taking into account the formation of isomeric AG-forms due to acyl migration and eliminating the effect of hydrolysis, were used instead of plain disappearance of the initial 1-O-ß-AG-form. Correlation was improved further when a daily dose of the drug was taken into account. CoA and related conjugates were detected primarily for the drugs that have the capability to cause IDT, although some exceptions to this were observed. Cytotoxicity and mitochondrial toxicity did not correlate to drug safety. On the basis of the results, the short relative half-life of the acyl glucuronide (high acyl migration rate), high daily dose and detection of acyl CoA conjugates, or further metabolites derived from acyl CoA together seem to indicate that carboxylic acid-containing drugs have a higher probability to cause drug-induced liver injury (DILI).

Formation of GSH-trapped reactive metabolites in human liver microsomes, S9 fraction, HepaRG-cells, and human hepatocytes.

The objective was to compare several in vitro human liver-derived subcellular and cellular incubation systems for the formation of GSH-trapped reactive metabolites. Incubations of pooled human liver microsomes, human liver S9 fractions, HepaRG-cells, and human hepatocytes were performed with glutathione as a trapping agent. Experiments with liver S9 were performed under two conditions, using only NADPH and using a full set of cofactors enabling also conjugative metabolism. Ten structurally different compounds were used as a test set, chosen as either "positive" (ciprofloxacin, clozapine, diclofenac, ethinyl estradiol, pulegone, and ticlopidine) or "negative" (caffeine, citalopram, losartan, montelukast) compounds, based on their known adverse reactions on liver or bone marrow. GSH conjugates were observed for seven of the ten compounds; while no conjugates were observed for caffeine, citalopram, or ciprofloxacin. Hepatocyte and HepaRG assays produced a clearly lower number and lower relative abundance of GSH conjugates compared to assays with microsomes and S9 fractions. The major GSH conjugates were different for many compounds in cellular subfractions and cell-based systems. Hepatocytes generally produced a higher number of GSH conjugates than HepaRG cells, although the differences were minor. The results show that the hepatic enzyme system used for screening of GSH-trapped reactive metabolites do have a high impact on the results, and results between different systems are comparable only qualitatively.

Glutathione trapping of reactive drug metabolites produced by biomimetic metalloporphyrin catalysts.

RATIONALE: Metalloporphyrins can be useful in the production of drug metabolites, as they enable easier production of oxidative metabolites usually produced by the cytochrome P450 enzymes. Our aim was to test metalloporphyrin-based biomimetic oxidation (BMO) methods for production and S-glutathione trapping of reactive drug metabolites in addition to phase I metabolites. METHODS: Clozapine, ticlopidine and citalopram were selected as model compounds. These were incubated with the BMO assay and the incubations were analyzed with high-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Additionally, incubations with human liver S9 fraction were performed to compare the results with the BMO assay. RESULTS: Six glutathione conjugates were identified for clozapine from the S9 incubation, while the BMO assay produced four of these. Four out of the five phase I metabolites produced by S9 were detected using the BMO assay. For ticlopidine, four glutathione conjugates were detected from the S9 incubation, but none of these were observed using the BMO assay. Eight of the nine phase I metabolites produced by S9 incubation were detected in the BMO assay. As expected, no glutathione conjugates were detected for citalopram, and the same three phase I metabolites were detected in both S9 and BMO incubations. CONLUSIONS: Differences in formation of GSH-trapped reactive metabolites by BMO assay between clozapine and ticlopidine are probably due to different reactive intermediates and reaction mechanisms. The reactive intermediate of clozapine, the nitrenium ion was generated, but the reactive intermediates of ticlopidine, S-oxide and epoxide, were not detected from the incubations. However, the results show that for selected cases the use of biomimetic assays can be used to produce high amounts of S-glutathione conjugates identical to those from liver subfraction incubations, on a scale that is relevant for purification and subsequent identification by NMR spectroscopy; which is often difficult using incubations with liver subfractions.

Fungal phenalenones: chemistry, biology, biosynthesis and phylogeny.

Covering up to the end of August 2013. Phenalenones are members of a unique class of natural polyketides exhibiting diverse biological potential. This is a comprehensive review of 72 phenalenones with diverse structural features originating from fungal sources. Their bioactive potential and structure elucidation are discussed along with a review of their biosynthetic pathways and the taxonomical relationship between the fungi producing these natural products.

Comparative metabolism of benfuracarb in in vitro mammalian hepatic microsomes model and its implications for chemical risk assessment.

In vitro metabolism of benfuracarb in liver microsomes from seven species was studied in order to quantitate species-specific metabolic profiles and enhance benfuracarb risk assessment by interspecies comparisons. Using LC-MS/MS, a total of seven phase-I-metabolites were detected from the extracted chromatograms and six of them were unequivocally identified. Benfuracarb was metabolized via two metabolic pathways, the sulfur oxidation pathway and nitrogen sulfur bond cleavage, yielding carbofuran, which metabolized further. Analysis of the metabolic profiles showed that benfuracarb was extensively metabolized with roughly similar profiles in different species in vitro. In vitro intrinsic clearance rates as well as calculated in vivo hepatic clearances indicated that all seven species metabolize benfuracarb via the carbofuran metabolic pathway more rapidly than the sulfoxidation pathway. The highest interspecies differences in hepatic clearance rate values were for mouse and rat liver microsomes compared to human, i.e. 4.8 and 4.1-fold higher, as illustrated by in vivo hepatic clearance of carbofuran. Overall, there are quantitative interspecies differences in the metabolic profiles and kinetics of benfuracarb biotransformation. These findings illustrate that in vitro studies of benfuracarb metabolite profiles and toxicokinetics are helpful for the proper selection and interpretation of animal models for toxicological evaluation and chemical risk assessment.

Human variation and CYP enzyme contribution in benfuracarb metabolism in human in vitro hepatic models.

Human responses to the toxicological effects of chemicals are often complicated by a substantial interindividual variability in toxicokinetics, of which metabolism is often the most important factor. Therefore, we investigated human variation and the contributions of human-CYP isoforms to in vitro metabolism of benfuracarb. The primary metabolic pathways were the initial sulfur oxidation to benfuracarb-sulfoxide and the nitrogen-sulfur bond cleavage to carbofuran (activation). The Km, Vmax, and CL(int) values of carbofuran production in ten individual hepatic samples varied 7.3-, 3.4-, and 5.4-fold, respectively. CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 catalyzed benfuracarb sulphur oxidation. Carbofuran formation, representing from 79% to 98% of the total metabolism, was catalyzed predominantly by CYP3A4. The calculated relative contribution of CYP3A4 to carbofuran formation was 93%, while it was 4.4% for CYP2C9. The major contribution of CYP3A4 in benfuracarb metabolism was further substantiated by showing a strong correlation with CYP3A4-selective markers midazolam-1'-hydroxylation and omeprazole-sulfoxidation (r=0.885 and 0.772, respectively). Carbofuran formation was highly inhibited by the CYP3A inhibitor ketoconazole. Moreover, CYP3A4 marker activities were relatively inhibited by benfuracarb. These results confirm that human CYP3A4 is the major enzyme involved in the in vitro activation of benfuracarb and that CYP3A4-catalyzed metabolism is the primary source of interindividual differences.

Targeting high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry-solid-phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance analysis with high-resolution radical scavenging profiles-Bioactive secondary metabolites from the endophytic fungus Penicillium namyslowskii.

The high-resolution radical scavenging profile of an extract of the endophytic fungus Penicillium namyslowskii was used to target analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry-solid-phase extraction-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, i.e., HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR, for identification of anti-oxidative secondary metabolites. This revealed the two chromatographic peaks with the highest relative response in the radical scavenging profile to be griseophenone C and peniprequinolone. The HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR analysis was performed in the tube-transfer mode using a cryogenically cooled NMR probe designed for 1.7mm NMR tubes. To further explore the potential of the above HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR platform for analysis of endophytic extracts, six peaks displaying no radical scavenging activity were also analyzed. This allowed unambiguous identification of six metabolites, i.e., dechlorogriseofulvin, dechlorodehydrogriseofulvin, griseofulvin, dehydrogriseofulvin, mevastatin acid, and mevastatin. The high mass sensitivity of the 1.7mm cryogenically cooled NMR probe allowed for the first time acquisition of direct detected (13)C NMR spectra of fungal metabolites, i.e., dechlorogriseofulvin and griseofulvin, directly from crude extract via HPLC-HRMS-SPE-NMR. Dechlorodehydrogriseofulvin was reported for the first time from nature.

Characterization of human cytochrome P450 induction by pesticides.

Pesticides are a large group of structurally diverse toxic chemicals. The toxicity may be modified by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme activity. In the current study, we have investigated effects and mechanisms of 24 structurally varying pesticides on human CYP expression. Many pesticides were found to efficiently activate human pregnane X receptor (PXR) and/or constitutive androstane receptor (CAR). Out of the 24 compounds tested, 14 increased PXR- and 15 CAR-mediated luciferase activities at least 2-fold. While PXR was predominantly activated by pyrethroids, CAR was, in addition to pyrethroids, well activated by organophosphates and several carbamates. Induction of CYP mRNAs and catalytic activities was studied in the metabolically competent, human derived HepaRG cell line. CYP3A4 mRNA was induced most powerfully by pyrethroids; 50 µM cypermethrin increased CYP3A4 mRNA 35-fold. CYP2B6 was induced fairly equally by organophosphate, carbamate and pyrethroid compounds. Induction of CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 by these compound classes paralleled their effects on PXR and CAR. The urea herbicide diuron and the triazine herbicide atrazine induced CYP2B6 mRNA more than 10-fold, but did not activate CAR indicating that some pesticides may induce CYP2B6 via CAR-independent mechanisms. CYP catalyzed activities were induced much less than the corresponding mRNAs. At least in some cases, this is probably due to significant inhibition of CYP enzymes by the studied pesticides. Compared with human CAR activation and CYP2B6 expression, pesticides had much less effect on mouse CAR and CYP2B10 mRNA. Altogether, pesticides were found to be powerful human CYP inducers acting through both PXR and CAR.

Metabolism of α-thujone in human hepatic preparations in vitro.

This study aims to characterize the metabolism of α-thujone in human liver preparations in vitro and to identify the role of cytochrome P450 (CYP) and possibly other enzymes catalyzing α-thujone biotransformations. With a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method developed for measuring α-thujone and four potential metabolites, it was demonstrated that human liver microsomes produced two major (7- and 4-hydroxy-thujone) and two minor (2-hydroxy-thujone and carvacrol) metabolites. Glutathione and cysteine conjugates were detected in human liver homogenates, but not quantified. No glucuronide or sulphate conjugates were detected. Major hydroxylations accounted for more than 90% of the primary microsomal metabolism of α-thujone. Screening of α-thujone metabolism with CYP recombinant enzymes indicated that CYP2A6 was principally responsible for the major 7- and 4-hydroxylation reactions, although CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 participated to a lesser extent and CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 catalyzed minor 2-hydroxylation. Based on the intrinsic efficiencies of different recombinant CYP enzymes and average abundances of these enzymes in human liver microsomes, CYP2A6 was calculated to be the most active enzyme in human liver microsomes, responsible for 70-80% of the metabolism on average. Inhibition screening indicated that α-thujone inhibited both CYP2A6 and CYP2B6, with 50% inhibitory concentration values of 15.4 and 17.5 µM, respectively.

Metabolism of hyperforin, the active constituent of St. John's wort, in human liver microsomes.

The metabolism of hyperforin, one of the pharmacologically most active components of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), was characterized in vitro using human liver microsomes and recombinant heterologously expressed P450 enzymes. A total of 57 hyperforin metabolites were detected. Of those, six were identified as monohydroxylations (M1-M6), while the others were formed via two or more hydroxylation reactions, via dehydrogenation, or by combinations of these reactions. A combined approach of cDNA-expressed recombinant CYPs, CYP-selective chemical inhibitors and correlation with CYP-specific marker activities indicated a central role of the CYP2C and CYP3A families in the metabolism of hyperforin. In addition, hyperforin was found to inhibit CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 model activities quite potently.

The siderophore ferricrocin produced by specific foliar endophytic fungi in vitro.

Production of extracellular siderophores is typical for many plant-associated microbes, both mutualistic and antagonistic. Various strains of mycorrhizal fungi produce siderophores, and siderophore production by pathogenic fungi is typically associated with virulence. We analyzed extracellular siderophore production along with production of antibacterial and antioxidant compounds in foliar endophytic fungi of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Labrador tea (Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja). The siderophore produced in vitro was ferricrocin, quantities ranging between 7.9 and 17.6 µg/l. Only the fungi with antibacterial activity produced ferricrocin and any well-known siderophores were not detected in the broths of antioxidant-producing fungi. Therefore, production of ferricrocin is typical for some, but not all foliar endophytic fungi. Ferricrocin was detected in the leaves of Labrador tea, which suggests that ferricrocin may play a role in vivo in the interaction between the endophyte and plant host.

Metabolism of carbosulfan II. Human interindividual variability in its in vitro hepatic biotransformation and the identification of the cytochrome P450 isoforms involved.

This study aims to characterize interindividual variability and individual CYP enzymes involved in the in vitro metabolism of the carbamate insecticide carbosulfan. Microsomes from ten human livers (HLM) were used to characterize the interindividual variability in carbosulfan activation. Altogether eight phase I metabolites were analyzed by LC-MS. The primary metabolic pathways were detoxification by the initial oxidation of sulfur to carbosulfan sulfinamide ('sulfur oxidation pathway') and activation via cleavage of the nitrogen sulfur bond (N-S) to give carbofuran and dibutylamine ('carbofuran pathway'). Differences between maximum and minimum carbosulfan activation values with HLM indicated nearly 5.9-, 7.0, and 6.6-fold variability in the k(m), V(max) and CL(int) values, respectively. CYP3A5 and CYP2B6 had the greatest efficiency to form carbosulfan sulfinamide, while CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 were the most efficient in the generation of the carbofuran metabolic pathway. Based on average abundances of CYP enzymes in human liver, CYP3A4 contributed to 98% of carbosulfan activation, while CYP3A4 and CYP2B6 contributed 57 and 37% to detoxification, respectively. Significant correlations between carbosulfan activation and CYP marker activities were seen with CYP3A4 (omeprazole sulfoxidation), CYP2C19 (omeprazole 5-hydroxylation) and CYP3A4 (midazolam 1'-hydroxylation), displaying r(2)=0.96, 0.87 and 0.82, respectively. Activation and detoxification pathways were inhibited by ketoconazole, a specific CYP3A4 inhibitor, by 90-97% and 47-94%, respectively. Carbosulfan inhibited relatively potently CYP3A4 and moderately CYP1A1/2 and CYP2C19 in pooled HLM. These results suggest that the carbosulfan activation pathway is more important than the detoxification pathway, and that carbosulfan activation is predominantly catalyzed in humans by CYP3A4.

Identification of phenolic compounds from lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and hybrid bilberry (Vaccinium x intermedium Ruthe L.) leaves.

Phenolic compounds from leaves of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), and the natural hybrid of bilberry and lingonberry (Vaccinium x intermedium Ruthe L., hybrid bilberry) were identified using LC/TOF-MS and LC/MS/MS after extraction from the plant material in methanol in an ultrasonicator. The phenolic profiles in the plants were compared using the LC/TOF-MS responses. This is the first thorough report of phenolic compounds in hybrid bilberry. In total, 51 different phenolic compounds were identified, including flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins, flavonols and their glycosides, and various phenolic acid conjugates. Of the identified compounds, 35 were detected in bilberry, 36 in lingonberry, and 46 in the hybrid. To our knowledge, seven compounds were previously unreported in Vaccinium genus and many of the compounds are reported for the first time from bilberry and lingonberry.