Effect of a New Prokinetic Agent DA-9701 Formulated with Corydalis Tuber and Pharbitidis Semen on Cytochrome P450 and UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Enzyme Activities in Human Liver Microsomes

DA-9701 is a new botanical drug composed of the extracts of Corydalis tuber and Pharbitidis semen, and it is used as an oral therapy for the treatment of functional dyspepsia in Korea. The inhibitory potentials of DA-9701 and its component herbs, Corydalis tuber and Pharbitidis semen, on the activities of seven major human cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and four UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) enzymes in human liver microsomes were investigated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. DA-9701 and Corydalis tuber extract slightly inhibited UGT1A1-mediated etoposide glucuronidation, with 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 188 and 290 μg/mL, respectively. DA-9701 inhibited CYP2D6-catalyzed bufuralol 1′-hydroxylation with an inhibition constant (Ki) value of 6.3 μg/mL in a noncompetitive manner. Corydalis tuber extract competitively inhibited CYP2D6-mediated bufuralol 1′-hydroxylation, with a Ki value of 3.7 μg/mL, whereas Pharbitidis semen extract showed no inhibition. The volume in which the dose could be diluted to generate an IC50 equivalent concentration (volume per dose index) value of DA-9701 for inhibition of CYP2D6 activity was 1.16 L/dose, indicating that DA-9701 may not be a potent CYP2D6 inhibitor. Further clinical studies are warranted to evaluate the in vivo extent of the observed in vitro interactions

The ancient phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling system is a master regulator of energy and carbon metabolism in algae

Algae undergo a complete metabolic transformation under stress by arresting cell growth, inducing autophagy and hyperaccumulating biofuel precursors such as triacylglycerols and starch. However, the regulatory mechanisms behind this stress-induced transformation are still unclear. Here, we use biochemical, mutational, and “omics” approaches to demonstrate that PI3K signaling mediates the homeostasis of energy molecules and influences carbon metabolism in algae. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the inhibition and knockdown (KD) of algal class III PI3K led to significantly decreased cell growth, altered cell morphology, and higher lipid and starch contents. Lipid profiling of wild-type and PI3K KD lines showed significantly reduced membrane lipid breakdown under nitrogen starvation (-N) in the KD. RNA-seq and network analyses showed that under -N conditions, the KD line carried out lipogenesis rather than lipid hydrolysis by initiating de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, which was supported by tricarboxylic acid cycle down-regulation and via acetyl-CoA synthesis from glycolysis. Remarkably, autophagic responses did not have primacy over inositide signaling in algae, unlike in mammals and vascular plants. The mutant displayed a fundamental shift in intracellular energy flux, analogous to that in tumor cells. The high free fatty acid levels and reduced mitochondrial ATP generation led to decreased cell viability. These results indicate that the PI3K signal transduction pathway is the metabolic gatekeeper restraining biofuel yields, thus maintaining fitness and viability under stress in algae. This study demonstrates the existence of homeostasis between starch and lipid synthesis controlled by lipid signaling in algae and expands our understanding of such processes, with biotechnological and evolutionary implications.Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning 2015M3A6A2065697Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries 2015018

Pharmacogenetics Meets Metabolomics: Discovery of Tryptophan as a New Endogenous OCT2 Substrate Related to Metformin Disposition

Genetic polymorphisms of the organic cation transporter 2 (OCT2), encoded by SLC22A2, have been investigated in association with metformin disposition. A functional decrease in transport function has been shown to be associated with the OCT2 variants. Using metabolomics, our study aims at a comprehensive monitoring of primary metabolite changes in order to understand biochemical alteration associated with OCT2 polymorphisms and discovery of potential endogenous metabolites related to the genetic variation of OCT2. Using GC-TOF MS based metabolite profiling, clear clustering of samples was observed in Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis, showing that metabolic profiles were linked to the genetic variants of OCT2. Tryptophan and uridine presented the most significant alteration in SLC22A2-808TT homozygous and the SLC22A2-808G>T heterozygous variants relative to the reference. Particularly tryptophan showed gene-dose effects of transporter activity according to OCT2 genotypes and the greatest linear association with the pharmacokinetic parameters (Clrenal, Clsec, Cl/F/kg, and Vd/F/kg) of metformin. An inhibition assay demonstrated the inhibitory effect of tryptophan on the uptake of 1-methyl-4-phenyl pyrinidium in a concentration dependent manner and subsequent uptake experiment revealed differential tryptophan-uptake rate in the oocytes expressing OCT2 reference and variant (808G>T). Our results collectively indicate tryptophan can serve as one of the endogenous substrate for the OCT2 as well as a biomarker candidate indicating the variability of the transport activity of OCT2

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Drug Metabolism, Pharmacokinetics and Bioanalysis

Drug metabolism/pharmacokinetics and drug interaction studies have been extensively carried out in order to secure the druggability and safety of new chemical entities throughout the development of new drugs. Recently, drug metabolism and transport by phase II drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters, respectively, as well as phase I drug metabolizing enzymes, have been studied. A combination of biochemical advances in the function and regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes and automated analytical technologies are revolutionizing drug metabolism research. There are also potential drug–drug interactions with co-administered drugs due to inhibition and/or induction of drug metabolic enzymes and drug transporters. In addition, drug interaction studies have been actively performed to develop substrate cocktails that do not interfere with each other and a simultaneous analytical method of substrate drugs and their metabolites using a tandem mass spectrometer. This Special Issue has the aim of highlighting current progress in drug metabolism/pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, and bioanalysis

Simultaneous Screening of Activities of Five Cytochrome P450 and Four Uridine 59-Diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase Enzymes in Human Liver Microsomes Using Cocktail Incubation and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry s

ABSTRACT Cytochrome P450 (P450) and uridine 59-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) are major metabolizing enzymes in the biotransformation of most drugs. Altered P450 and UGT activities are a potential cause of adverse drug-drug interaction

Enhanced Triacylglycerol Content and Gene Expression for Triacylglycerol Metabolism, Acyl-Ceramide Synthesis, and Corneocyte Lipid Formation in the Epidermis of Borage Oil Fed Guinea Pigs

Triacylglycerol (TAG) metabolism is related to the acyl-ceramide (Cer) synthesis and corneocyte lipid envelope (CLE) formation involved in maintaining the epidermal barrier. Prompted by the recovery of a disrupted epidermal barrier with dietary borage oil (BO: 40.9% linoleic acid (LNA) and 24.0% γ-linolenic acid (GLA)) in essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency, lipidomic and transcriptome analyses and subsequent quantitative RT-PCR were performed to determine the effects of borage oil (BO) on TAG content and species, and the gene expression related to overall lipid metabolism. Dietary BO for 2 weeks in EFA-deficient guinea pigs increased the total TAG content, including the TAG species esterified LNA, GLA, and their C20 metabolized fatty acids. Moreover, the expression levels of genes in the monoacylglycerol and glycerol-3-phosphate pathways, two major pathways of TAG synthesis, increased, along with those of TAG lipase, acyl-Cer synthesis, and CLE formation. Dietary BO enhanced TAG content, the gene expression of TAG metabolism, acyl-Cer synthesis, and CLE formation

Effect of Korean Red Ginseng on Plasma Ceramide Levels in Postmenopausal Women with Hypercholesterolemia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a crucial cause of death in postmenopausal women. Plasma ceramide concentrations are correlated with the development of atherosclerosis and are significant predictors of CVD. Here, we conducted a 4-week, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical pilot study to investigate the effect of Korean red ginseng (KRG) on serum ceramide concentrations in 68 postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the experimental group (n = 36) received KRG and the control (n = 32) group received placebo, 2 g each, once daily. Serum ceramides were measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry at baseline and study completion, with changes in serum ceramide levels as the primary end point. We detected significantly greater mean changes in C16 ceramide levels (d18:1/16:0: −6.4 ± 6.3 pmol/mL vs. 14.6 ± 6.8 pmol/mL, respectively, p = 0.040; d18:1/22:0: −20.8 ± 24.4 pmol/mL vs. 71.1 ± 26.2 pmol/mL, respectively, p = 0.020). Additionally, changes in the median C16 (d18:1/16:0) and C22 (d18:1/22:0) ceramide levels were significantly greater in KRG-group subjects with metabolic syndrome than those without. Therefore, we found that KRG decreases the serum levels of several ceramides in postmenopausal women with hypercholesterolemia, suggesting it may be beneficial for preventing CVD in these individuals