Abstract

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity in human liver microsomes was measured after the O-demethylation of [O-methyl 14C]naproxen (NAPase). The formation of [14C]formaldehyde in the presence of microsomes was described by an apparent KM(1) and Vmax(1) of 0.16 +/- 0.09 mM and 4.1 +/- 2.8 nmol HCHO/min/mg protein (mean +/- SD; N = 5 different livers), respectively, over a relatively wide naproxen concentration (5-1600 microM) range. With two sets of microsomes, a high KM NAPase component was also detected (mean KM2 = 2.7 mM; mean Vmax2 = 23 nmol HCHO/min/mg). As expected, the O-demethylation of naproxen (0.4 mM) was found to be highly correlated with tolbutamide hydroxylase (TOLase) activity in a panel of human liver microsomes (r = 0.82, p < 0.01, N = 10) and was inhibited (32-54%) by a number of purported CYP2C (CYP2C9/10) inhibitors/substrates (e.g. phenytoin, sulfaphenazole, tienilic acid, tolbutamide, and ibuprofen). Only marginal decreases in activity (< or = 14%) were observed with inhibitors of other CYP proteins. However, NAPase activity was also found to correlate significantly with CYP1A2 [ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (ERODase)] activity (r = 0.68, p < 0.05, n = 11). In addition, the reaction was inhibited (36-75%, N = 11 different livers) by furafylline (FURA), a CYP1A2-selective mechanism-based inhibitor. The effect of FURA and tienilic acid was additive, leading to 90 +/- 4.2% inhibition of NAPase activity. FURA-inhibited activity also significantly correlated with ERODase activity (r = 0.78, p < 0.01, N = 11), whereas tienilic acid-inhibited activity correlated with TOLase activity (r = 0.63, p < 0.05, N = 10). In human B-lymphoblast microsomes, cDNA-expressed CYP1A2 exhibited relatively high activity (KM = 0.25 mM; Vmax = 24 nmol/min/nmol CYP), when compared with CYP2A6, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, CYP2B6, and CYP3A4. The kinetic parameters for reconstituted purified human liver microsomal CYP2C9 (KM = 0.43 mM; Vmax = 11 nmol/min/nmol CYP) were comparable with those of CYP1A2. It is concluded that the O-demethylation of naproxen (< or = 0.4 mM) is catalyzed by CYP2C subfamily members (CYP2C9/10) and CYP1A2 in human liver microsomes.