High-Throughput screeening assays for CYP2B6 metabolism and inhibition usuing fluorogenic vivid substrates

CYP2B6 is a highly polymorphic P450 isozyme involved in the metabolism of endo-and xenobiotics with known implications for the activation of many procarcinogens resulting in carcinogenesis. However, lack of validated high-throughput screening (HTS) CYP2B6 assays has limited the current understanding and full characterization of this isozyme’s involvement in human drug metabolism. Here, we have developed and characterized a fluorescence-based HTS assay employing recombinant human CYP2B6 and 2 novel fluorogenic substrates (the Vivid CYP2B6 Blue and Cyan Substrates). Assay validation included testing the inhibitory potency of a panel of drugs and compounds known to be metabolized by this isozyme, including CYP2B6 substrates, inhibitors, and known inducers. Compound rankings based on inhibitory potency in the Vivid CYP2B6 Blue and Cyan Assays matched compound rankings based on relative affinity measurements from previously published data (Ki, Kd, or Km values) for the CYP2B6 isozyme. In conclusion, these assays are proven to be robust and sensitive, with broad dynamic ranges and kinetic parameters allowing screening in HTS mode of a large panel of compounds for CYP2B6 metabolism and inhibition, and are a valuable new tool for CYP2B6 studies

Intra- and inter-ethnic differences in the allele frequencies of cytochrome P450 2B6 gene in Chinese

This study aimed to investigate the allele frequencies of CYP2B6 gene in 193 Han Chinese and compared with 91 Uygur Chinese. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms of CYP2B6, 64C > T, 516G > T, 777C > A, 785A > G and 1459C > T, were tested using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The allele frequencies for CYP2B6*2, CYP2B6*3, CYP2B6*4, CYP2B6*5, CYP2B6*6, CYP2B6*7 and CYP2B6*9 in Han and Uygur Chinese were 0.034 and 0.027, 0 and 0.011, 0.091 and 0.033, 0.003 and 0.049, 0.184 and 0.214, 0 and 0.022, and 0.018 and 0.044, respectively, with CYP2B6*4, CYP2B6*5, and CYP2B6*7 being significantly different between these two races (P < 0.05). CYP2B6*6 was the most prevalent allele among all detected variants in Han and Uygur Chinese. The most frequent genotypes were CYP2B6*1/CYP2B6*1 (50.8%), CYP2B6*1/CYP2B6*6 (24.4%), and CYP2B6*1/CYP2B6*4 (7.3%) in Han subjects, whereas the most frequent genotypes in Uygur subjects were CYP2B6*1/CYP2B6*1 (36.3%), CYP2B6*1/CYP2B6*6 (25.3%), CYP2B6*1/CYP2B6*5 (5.5%) and CYP2B6*6/CYP2B6*6 (5.5%). The frequencies of 64C > T mutation in Han and Uygur Chinese were significantly lower than that in American Caucasian (P < 0.05). These results indicate that there were marked ethnic differences in the mutant frequencies of CYP2B6 between Chinese and other ethnic groups. Further studies are warranted to explore the clinical impact of such ethnic differences