PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Joanna M. Little
AU  - Lisa Williams
AU  - Jing Xu
AU  - Anna Radominska-Pandya
TI  - Glucuronidation of the Dietary Fatty Acids, Phytanic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid, by Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferases
AID  - 10.1124/dmd.30.5.531
DP  - 2002 May 01
TA  - Drug Metabolism and Disposition
PG  - 531--533
VI  - 30
IP  - 5
4099  - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/30/5/531.short
4100  - http://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/30/5/531.full
SO  - Drug Metab Dispos2002 May 01; 30
AB  - Linoleic acid has recently been shown to be glucuronidated in vitro by human liver and intestinal microsomes and recombinant UGT2B7. In the present study, the dietary fatty acids (FA), phytanic acid (PA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been used as substrates for human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs). Both compounds were effectively glucuronidated by human liver microsomes (HLM; 1.25 ± 0.36 and 1.12 ± 0.32 nmol/mg × min for PA and DHA, respectively) and UGT2B7 (0.71 and 0.53 nmol/mg × min). Kinetic analysis produced relatively low Km values for PA with both HLM and UGT2B7 (149 and 108 μM, respectively). TheKm for DHA glucuronidation by HLM (460 μM) was considerably higher than that for UGT2B7 (168 μM), suggesting the involvement in microsomes of other UGT isoforms in addition to UGT2B7. Glucuronidation of PA and DHA by gastrointestinal microsomes from 16 human subjects was determined. In general, both PA and DHA were glucuronidated by gastric and intestinal microsomes, and activity toward both substrates was lowest in the stomach, increased in the small intestine, and lower in the colon. However, there were large interindividual variations in UGT activity toward both substrates in all segments of the intestine, as has been seen with other substrates. Thus, PA and DHA are effective in vitro substrates for human liver, gastric and intestinal microsomes, and glucuronidation may play a role in modulating the availability of these FA as ligands for nuclear receptors. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics