Characterization of the hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes involved in the metabolism of 25I-NBOMe and 25I-NBOH.

The dimethoxyphenyl-N-((2-methoxyphenyl)methyl)ethanamine (NBOMe) compounds are potent serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonists and have recently been subject to recreational use due to their hallucinogenic effects. Use of NBOMe compounds has been known since 2011, and several non-fatal and fatal intoxication cases have been reported in the scientific literature. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of the different cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP) involved in the metabolism of 2-(4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-(2methoxybenzyl)ethanamine (25I-NBOMe) and 2-[[2-(4-iodo-2,5dimethoxyphenyl)ethylamino]methyl]phenol (25I-NBOH) and to characterize the metabolites. The following approaches were used to identify the main enzymes involved in primary metabolism: incubation with a panel of CYP and monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzymes and incubation in pooled human liver microsomes (HLM) with and without specific CYP chemical inhibitors. The study was further substantiated by an evaluation of 25I-NBOMe and 25I-NBOH metabolism in single donor HLM. The metabolism pathways of 25I-NBOMe and 25I-NBOH were NADPHdependent with intrinsic clearance values of (CLint) of 70.1 and 118.7 mL/min/kg, respectively. The biotransformations included hydroxylation, O-demethylation, N-dealkylation, dehydrogenation, and combinations thereof. The most abundant metabolites were all identified by retention time and spectrum matching with synthesized reference standards. The major CYP enzymes involved in the metabolism of 25I-NBOMe and 25INBOH were identified as CYP3A4 and CYP2D6, respectively. The compound 25I-NBOH was also liable to direct glucuronidation, which may diminish the impact of CYP2D6 genetic polymorphism. Users of 25I-NBOMe may be subject to drug-drug interactions (DDI) if 25I-NBOMe is taken with a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cytochrome P450-mediated metabolism of the synthetic cannabinoids UR-144 and XLR-11.

In recent years, synthetic cannabinoids have emerged in the illicit drug market, in particular via the Internet, leading to abuse of these drugs. There is currently limited knowledge about the specific enzymes involved in the metabolism of these drugs. In this study, we investigated the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes involved in the metabolism of the two synthetic cannabinoids (1-pentyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-(2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone (UR-144) and [1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl)](2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone (XLR-11). This study extends previous studies by identifying the specific CYP enzymes involved in the metabolism of UR-144 and XLR-11 utilizing a panel of nine recombinant enzymes (CYP1A2, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C18, 2C19, 2D6, 3A4, and 2E1). This is followed by an investigation of the effect of specific inhibitors targeted against CYP1A2, 2B6, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6 and 3A4 in human liver microsomes (HLM). Incubations of UR-144 and XLR-11 with recombinant CYP enzymes revealed that UR-144 and XLR-11 are extensively metabolized by CYP3A4 at the tetramethylcyclopropyl (TMCP) moiety, but also CYP1A2 and CYP2C19 showed activity. Inhibition of CYP3A4 in HLM attenuated the metabolism of UR-144 and XLR-11, while inhibition of the other CYP enzymes in HLM had only minor effects. Thus, CYP3A4 is the major contributor to the CYP mediated metabolism of UR-144 and XLR-11 with minor contributions from CYP1A2. Users of UR-144 and XLR-11 are thus subject to the influence of potential drug-drug interactions, if they are concomitantly medicated with CYP3A4 inducers (e.g. some antiepileptics) or inhibitors (e.g. some antifungal drugs). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

CYP3A4 Mediates Oxidative Metabolism of the Synthetic Cannabinoid AKB-48.

Synthetic cannabinoid designer drugs have emerged as drugs of abuse during the last decade, and acute intoxication cases are documented in the scientific literature. Synthetic cannabinoids are extensively metabolized, but our knowledge of the involved enzymes is limited. Here, we investigated the metabolism of N-(1-adamantyl)-1-pentyl-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (AKB-48), a compound identified in herbal blends from 2012 and onwards. We screened for metabolite formation using a panel of nine recombinant cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes (CYP1A2, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C18, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4) and compared the formed metabolites to human liver microsomal (HLM) incubations with specific inhibitors against CYP2D6, 2C19, and 3A4, respectively. The data reported here demonstrate CYP3A4 to be the major CYP enzyme responsible for the oxidative metabolism of AKB-48, preferentially performing the oxidation on the adamantyl moiety. Genetic polymorphisms are likely not important with regard to toxicity given the major involvement of CYP3A4. Adverse drug-drug interactions (DDIs) could potentially occur in cases with co-intake of strong CYP3A4 inhibitors, e.g., HIV antivirals and azole antifungal agents.

Prediction of cytochrome p450 mediated metabolism of designer drugs.

The analysis of designer drugs in human plasma is highly complex, as most of these drugs are metabolized quickly, and often into multiple products. For novel designer drugs, it is common that reference compounds for these metabolites are unavailable at the time of analysis. Hence, the usage of in silico procedures to accurately predict the chemical structures of these metabolites would be very useful. In this study, the differences between several methods for prediction of site of metabolism for cytochrome P450 mediated drug metabolism are described, and their prediction accuracies are analyzed on a set of designer drugs. It is found that ligand-based methods, which are simpler and faster, are better than or at least as good as much more complex structure-based methods.