Matrix Modulation of the Bioactivation of Estragole by Constituents of Different Alkenylbenzene-containing Herbs and Spices and Physiologically Based Biokinetic Modeling of Possible In Vivo Effects

The alkenylbenzene estragole is a constituent of several herbs and spices. It induces hepatomas in rodents at high doses following bioactivation by cytochrome P450s and sulfotransferases (SULTs) giving rise to the ultimate carcinogenic metabolite 1'-sulfooxyestragole which forms DNA adducts. Methanolic extracts from different alkenylbenzene-containing herbs and spices were able to inhibit SULT activity. Flavonoids including quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, apigenin, and nevadensin were the major constituents responsible for this inhibition with Ki values in the nano to micromolar range. In human HepG2 cells exposed to the proximate carcinogen 1ʹ-hydroxyestragole, the various flavonoids were able to inhibit estragole DNA adduct formation and shift metabolism in favor of glucuronidation which is a detoxification pathway for 1ʹ-hydroxyestragole. In a next step, the kinetics for SULT inhibition were incorporated in physiologically based biokinetic (PBBK) models for estragole in rat and human to predict the effect of co-exposure to estragole and (mixtures of) the different flavonoids on the bioactivation in vivo. The PBBK-model-based predictions indicate that the reduction of estragole bioactivation in rat and human by co-administration of the flavonoids is dependent on whether the intracellular liver concentrations of the flavonoids can reach their Ki values. It is expected that this is most easily achieved for nevadensin which has a Ki value in the nanomolar range and is, due to its methyl ation, more metabolically stable than the other flavonoid

Matrix-derived combination effect and risk assessment for estragole from basil-containing plant food supplements (PFS)

AbstractBasil-containing plant food supplements (PFS) can contain estragole which can be metabolised into a genotoxic and carcinogenic 1′-sulfoxymetabolite. This study describes the inhibition of sulfotransferase (SULT)-mediated bioactivation of estragole by compounds present in basil-containing PFS. Results reveal that PFS consisting of powdered basil material contain other compounds with considerable in vitro SULT-inhibiting activity, whereas the presence of such compounds in PFS consisting of basil essential oil was limited. The inhibitor in powdered basil PFS was identified as nevadensin. Physiologically based kinetic (PBK) modeling was performed to elucidate if the observed inhibitory effects can occur in vivo. Subsequently, risk assessment was performed using the Margin of Exposure (MOE) approach. Results suggest that the consequences of the in vivo matrix-derived combination effect are significant when estragole would be tested in rodent bioassays with nevadensin at ratios detected in PFS, thereby increasing MOE values. However, matrix-derived combination effects may be limited at lower dose levels, indicating that the importance of matrix-derived combination effects for risk assessment of individual compounds should be done on a case-by-case basis considering dose-dependent effects. Furthermore, this study illustrates how PBK modeling can be used in risk assessment of PFS, contributing to further reduction in the use of experimental animals