Metabolic enzymes and antiepileptic drug interactions.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R H Levy.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Azelastine, an antihistamine with additional pharmacologic properties, was evaluated for a possible influence on pharmacokinetic and electrocardiographic parameters due to its coadministration with CYP3A4 inhibitor ketoconazole (200 mg every 12 hrs). Twelve volunteers entered this three-period, open-label study. Electrocardiographic parameters (PR, QRS and QTc intervals and U-wave morphology) were monitored after 14 days of azelastine HCl (4.4 mg every 12 hrs), after 7 days of either azelastine/ketoconazole or azelastine/placebo, and after a 21-day washout period, which was then followed by a 7-day administration of ketoconazole alone. None of the treatments resulted in meaningful alterations of electrocardiographic variables. Pharmacokinetic parameters could not be estimated because ketoconazole metabolites interfered with azelastine assay procedures. In vitro tests with human liver microsomes were used to characterize azelastine's inhibition spectrum. Azelastine did not inhibit CYP3A4 activity but it did inhibit CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 activity with Ki values exceeding maximum plasma concentration by 120 to 800-fold. Therefore, in vitro tests and the absence of electrocardiographic effects suggests azelastine can be safely administered with CYP3A4 inhibitors.
OBJECTIVE: The spectrum of cytochrome P450 inhibition of stiripentol, a new anticonvulsant, was characterized in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Stiripentol was incubated in vitro with (R)-warfarin, coumarin, (S)-warfarin, (S)-mephenytoin, bufuralol, p-nitrophenol, and carbamazepine as probes for CYPs 1A2, 2A6, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4, respectively. Caffeine demethylation and the 6 beta-hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio were monitored in vivo before and after 14 days of treatment with stiripentol as measures of CYP1A2 and CYP3A4 activity, and dextromethorphan O- and N-demethylation were used to measure CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 activity, respectively. In vivo inhibition constants for CYP3A4 were calculated with use of data that previously documented the interaction between stripentol and carbamazepine. RESULTS: In vitro, stiripentol inhibited CYPs 1A2, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, and 3A4, with inhibition constant values at or slightly higher than therapeutic (total) concentrations of stiripentol, but it did not inhibit CYPs 2A6 and 2E1 even at tenfold therapeutic concentrations. In vivo inhibition of caffeine demethylation and dextromethorphan N-demethylation were consistent with inhibition of CYP1A2 and CYP3A4, respectively. The 6 beta-hydroxycortisol/cortisol ratio did not provide a reliable index of CYP3A4 inhibition. Inhibition of CYP2D6-mediated O-demethylation was not observed in vivo. With use of carbamazepine, in vivo inhibition constants for CYP3A4 ranged between 12 and 35 mumol/L, whereas the corresponding in vitro value was 80 mumol/L. CONCLUSIONS: Stiripentol appears to inhibit several CYP450 enzymes in vitro and in vivo. In vivo inhibition constants show that stiripentol inhibition of CYP3A4 is linearly related to plasma concentration in patients with epilepsy.
PURPOSE: The steady-state pharmacokinetics of valproate (VPA) and topiramate (TPM) were compared during VPA monotherapy, concomitant VPA and TPM therapy, and TPM monotherapy to evaluate pharmacokinetic interactions. METHODS: After a 3-week baseline period, 12 patients receiving VPA monotherapy (500 to 2,250 mg every 12 h) received TPM at three escalating doses (from 100 to 200 to 400 mg every 12 h), each for 2 weeks. Thereafter, the VPA dose was tapered by 25% weekly. Blood and urine samples were collected over 12-h intervals during VPA monotherapy and at the end of each stage of TPM dose escalation and TPM monotherapy. RESULTS: All patients reached TPM monotherapy, and nine achieved satisfactory seizure control for > or = 2 weeks without VPA. TPM plasma peak concentration (C(max)) and area under the concentration-versus-time curve during a 12-h dosing interval (AUC(0-12)) were slightly higher (17%; n = 8) during TPM monotherapy than during concomitant VPA therapy. TPM oral and renal clearances (n = 8) were 25.9 +/- 4.6 and 11.6 +/- 3.2 ml/min during TPM monotherapy and were 29.8 +/- 4.2 and 12.4 +/- 2.7 ml/min during VPA concomitant therapy. VPA AUC(0-12) decreased (11.3%; n = 10) with the addition of TPM 400 mg every 12 h. VPA oral clearance was 12.8 +/- 4.1 ml/min during monotherapy and was 13.8 +/- 4.0, 14.1 +/- 3.9, and 14.5 +/- 5.2 ml/min during coadministration of TPM 100, 200, and 400 mg every 12 h, respectively. Cognitive dysfunction, observed in some patients receiving high doses of VPA with TPM, reversed or improved with VPA dose reduction and discontinuation. The lower-than-normal prestudy platelet count measured in one patient increased to normal levels when VPA was discontinued. CONCLUSIONS: Because changes in TPM and VPA pharmacokinetics were small, it is unlikely that their concomitant use will have a significant impact on the clinical condition of the patient.
This article provides an analysis of the degree of agreement between in vivo interaction studies performed in patients with epilepsy and healthy individuals, and in vitro studies which identified the cytochromes P450 (CYP) inhibited by felbamate and those involved in its metabolism. In vitro studies show that felbamate is a substrate for CYP3A4 and CYP2E1. Compounds which induce CYP3A4 (e.g. carbamazepine, phenytoin and phenobarbital) increase felbamate clearance. However, the CYP3A4 inhibitors gestodene, ethinyl estradiol and erythromycin have little or no effect on felbamate trough plasma concentrations, consistent with the fact that the pathway is relatively minor for felbamate under normal (non-induced) conditions. Felbamate has been shown in vitro to inhibit CYP2C19, which would account for its effect on phenytoin clearance, and it had been postulated that this could be the mechanism underlying the reduced clearance of phenobarbital by felbamate. Although not yet examined in vitro, felbamate appears to induce the activity of CYP3A4, which would account for it reducing plasma concentrations of carbamazepine or the progestin gestodene. Interactions involving felbamate and non-CYP450-mediated metabolic pathways have also been addressed in clinical studies. The reduction in valproic acid (valproate sodium) clearance by felbamate is through the inhibition of beta-oxidation. No clinically relevant pharmacokinetic interactions were noted between felbamate and lamotrigine, clonazepam, vigabatrin, nor the active monohydroxy metabolite of oxcarbazepine. Information on the mechanisms underlying felbamate's drug:drug interaction profile permits predictions to be made concerning the likelihood of interactions with other compounds.
N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-5-methyl-3-isoxazolecarboxamide (D2624) belongs to a new series of experimental anticonvulsants related to lidocaine. This study was undertaken to understand the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of D2624 in rats and humans, with emphasis on the possible formation of 2,6-dimethylaniline (2,6-DMA). After oral administration of stable isotope-labeled parent drug to rats and GC/MS analysis of plasma samples, two metabolites were identified: D3017, which is the primary alcohol, and 2,6-DMA, formed by amide bond hydrolysis of either D2624 or D3017. In urine, three metabolites of D2624 were identified: namely D3017,2,6-DMA, and D3270 (which is the carboxylic acid derivative of D3017). Based on plasma AUC analysis, D3017 and 2,6-DMA accounted for > 90% of the dose of D2624. After oral administration, D2624 was found to be well absorbed (93%), but underwent extensive first-pass metabolism in the rat, thus resulting in 5.3% bioavailability. Rat and human liver microsomal preparations were capable of metabolizing D2624 to D3017 and 2,6-DMA. The formation of D3017 was NADPH-dependent, whereas 2,6-DMA formation was NADPH-independent and probably was catalyzed by amidase(s) enzymes. In a single-dose (25-225 mg) human volunteer study, the parent drug (D2624) was not detected in plasma at any dose, whereas 2,6-DMA was detected only at the two highest doses (150 and 225 mg). D3017 was detected after all doses of parent drug, with approximate dose proportionality in AUC and a half-life of 1.3-2.2 hr. The metabolic behavior observed in humans suggests there is a marked species difference in the oxidative and hydrolytic pathways of D2624.
PURPOSE: Patients frequently have ocular pain, photophobia, foreign-body sensation, and burning/stinging after radial keratotomy. This study was a prospective, randomized, double-masked, multicenter, fellow-eye comparison of diclofenac sodium (Voltaren Ophthalmic, 0.1% solution) and placebo for controlling these ocular symptoms after bilateral radial keratotomy. METHODS: Patients who were pain free in both eyes before surgery were randomly assigned to treatment with diclofenac sodium in one eye and placebo in the other. One drop of each masked trial medication was administered 30-60 min before surgery, 5 min and 6 h after surgery, at bedtime on the day of surgery, and four times daily for 2 additional days. Patients evaluated ocular symptoms in each eye 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 24, and 48 h after surgery and provided a global evaluation 6, 24, and 48 h after surgery. For each assessment, the difference in scores between eyes was analyzed by using a paired t test. RESULTS: Diclofenac sodium was significantly (p < 0.001) superior to placebo in controlling each ocular symptom at each interval after surgery and for patient global assessments 6, 24, and 48 h after surgery. CONCLUSION: Diclofenac sodium 0.1% ophthalmic solution is clinically effective in controlling adverse ocular symptoms occurring after bilateral radial keratotomy.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the steady-state pharmacokinetics of lamotrigine and valproate at three dosing levels of lamotrigine in normal volunteers receiving steady-state therapeutic doses of valproate. METHODS: This was an open-label, randomized, three-way crossover study of 18 normal male volunteers. Subjects received oral valproate (500 mg Depakote twice a day) throughout the study. Each subject subsequently received three oral dosage regimens of lamotrigine (50, 100, or 150 mg/day) for 1 week each, with a 2-week washout period between lamotrigine treatment periods. Valproate and lamotrigine trough plasma samples were determined by a capillary gas chromatography method and immunofluorometric assay, respectively. Urine samples were assayed for 11 valproate metabolites by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. RESULTS: When compared to other studies in which lamotrigine was administered with no concurrent antiepileptic drug, concomitant valproate markedly increased the half-life of lamotrigine and decreased lamotrigine clearance, without substantial alteration in the linear kinetics of the drug. The addition of lamotrigine was associated with a small but significant 25% decrease in steady-state valproate plasma concentration. Oral clearance of valproate was increased (from 7.2 +/- 1.1 ml/hr/kg before lamotrigine treatment to 9.0 +/- 2.0 ml/hr/kg on day 28; p < 0.05). The formation clearance of the hepatotoxic valproate metabolites, 2-n-propyl-4-pentenoic acid (4-ene-valproate) and 2-propyl-2,4-pentadienoic acid [2(E),4-diene-valproate], was unaffected by lamotrigine administration. CONCLUSIONS: As a consequence of the interaction between lamotrigine and sodium valproate, a dosage reduction of lamotrigine should be considered in patients taking a combination of valproate and lamotrigine.
The Third Eilat Conference on New Antiepileptic Drugs was held at the Royal Beach Hotel from May 27 to May 30, 1996. Epileptologists and scientists from 20 countries attended the conference, which was held to discuss critical issues in drug development, new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in development, progress reports and recent findings of newly marketed AEDs, the use of AEDs in special populations and their utilization in non-epileptic disorders. Over the last seven years, six new AEDs have been introduced worldwide and new information on their safety and efficacy has become available. These include felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, topiramate and vigabatrin. Drugs in development include those at an advanced stage, such as remacemide and tiagabine, as well as those just entering clinical trials, such as rufinamide (CGP 331010) and levetiracetam (ucb LO59). The following is a summary of the presentations for drugs in development and recent findings on newly marketed drugs.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A model using SWV mice was developed to investigate the mechanistic basis of carbamazepine (CBZ)-related fetotoxicity. Drug administration was initiated prior to conception and continued until day 18 of gestation. The incidence of malformation was 33% following CBZ exposure (1,500 mg/kg/day), compared with a 5% incidence in pair-fed control animals (P < 0.05). Coadministration of nonteratogenic doses of phenobarbital (PB; a cytochrome P-450 inducer) (45 mg/kg/day) and CBZ (1,000 mg/kg/day) increased the frequency of malformation from 10% to 26% (P < 0.05), compared with mice dosed with CBZ alone (1,000 mg/kg/day). Coadministration of stiripentol (STP; a cytochrome P-450 inhibitor) (300 mg/kg/day) decreased the incidence of malformations produced by CBZ (1,500 mg/kg/day) from 33% to 16.7% (P < 0.05). The effect of PB administration on the binding of 14C in maternal and fetal tissue was assessed in dams that received CBZ (1,000 mg/kg/day) with or without PB (45 mg/kg/day) or STP (300 mg/kg/day) chronically and a single i.p. dose of 14C-CBZ on day 12 of gestation. In all instances, binding was greatest in maternal liver, then in the placenta, fetal head and body, and maternal thigh muscle. In all tissues, PB caused a two-to threefold increase in binding, compared with binding in mice exposed to CBZ alone. STP administration decreased protein adduct formation only in maternal liver. The binding of 14C was also assessed in hepatic microsomes prepared from female mice exposed to CBZ and PB or STP as in the in vivo study of 14C binding. The extent of irreversible binding was 67% greater in microsomes prepared from mice pretreated with PB and CBZ than with CBZ alone, while STP resulted in only 21% inhibition of 14C adduct formation (P < 0.05). The results are consistent with the formation of a chemically reactive teratogenic metabolite of CBZ in mice by cytochrome(s) P-450.
The Second Eilat Conference on New Antiepileptic Drugs was held at the King Solomon's Palace Hotel from October 31 to November 3, 1994. Epileptologists and scientists from 20 countries attended the conference, which was held to discuss new trial designs, drug approval, early use of new antiepileptic drugs, and new drugs in development. Over the last six years, several novel antiepileptic drugs have been introduced worldwide, and new information on their safety and efficacy has become available. These include felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, and vigabatrin. Drugs in development include those at an advanced stage, such as topiramate and tiagabine, as well as those just entering clinical trials, such as remacemide and levetiracetam. The following is a summary of the presentations for drugs in development and newly marketed drugs. The meeting concluded with a presentation, 'Still Searching for the Magic Bullet'.
Recent findings about individual isoforms of the cytochromes P450 involved in the metabolism of phenytoin (PHT) and carbamazepine (CBZ) make prediction of inhibition-based interactions possible. PHT is eliminated principally by hydroxylation to p-HPPH, a reaction catalyzed primarily by CYP2C9 and secondarily by CYP2C19 (S-mephenytoin hydroxylase). The principle of isoform specificity (drugs metabolized by the same isoform should exhibit interactions with the same inhibitors) was applied to the interactions of PHT with 17 inhibitors using two probes for CYP2C9, S-warfarin and tolbutamide. Eleven of 17 interactions (sulfaphenazole, phenylbutazone, fluconazole, azapropazone, cotrimoxazole, propoxyphene, miconazole, amiodarone, disulfiram, metronidazole, and stiripentol) could be explained by inhibition of CYP2C9. The remaining interactions (felbamate, omeprazole, cimetidine, fluoxetine, imipramine, and diazepam) were attributed to inhibition of CYP2C19. For CBZ, studies utilizing chemical inhibitors, immunoinhibition, liver bank correlations, and expressed enzymes established that CYP3A4 is the main enzyme catalyzing formation of CBZ-10, 11-epoxide. This explains the pronounced interactions of CBZ with erythromycin, troleandomycin, and other macrolide antibiotics (clarithromycin, josamycin, flurythromycin, and ponsinomycin). Work is in progress to explain the interactions of CBZ with other inhibitors. The literature contains no other information on isoforms involved in the metabolism of other major antiepileptic drugs.
The administration of endotoxins to rats as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induces a state of exhaustion, in which the main symptoms are febrile hyperthermia, reduced food intake, decreased body weight, and reduced muscle performance in treadmill tests. Underlying the physiological and behavioral disturbances due to the LPS is the activation of macrophages that release cytokines (interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor a) and NO. The cellular responses are intended to maintain homeostasis. Provision of citrulline as citrulline malate (CAS 54940-97-5, Stimol), an antifatigue substance, improved muscle performance, but had no effect on the body temperature or on the body weight of these animals weakened by LPS. The presence of citrulline in the NO synthesis pathway, or its participation in the speeded up elimination of ammonia and lactates, the main products of muscle metabolism, might explain the effects of citrulline malate in rats treated with LPS.
A number of drugs inhibit the metabolism of carbamazepine catalyzed by cytochrome P450, sometimes resulting in carbamazepine intoxication. However, there is little information available concerning the identity of the specific isoforms of P450 responsible for the metabolism of this drug. This study addressed the role of CYP3A4 in the formation of carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, the major metabolite of carbamazepine. Results of the study showed that: (1) purified CYP3A4 catalyzed 10,11-epoxidation; (2) cDNA-expressed CYP3A4 catalyzed 10,11-epoxidation (Vmax = 1730 pmol/min/nmol P450, Km = 442 microM); (3) the rate of 10,11-epoxidation correlated with CYP3A4 content in microsomes from sixteen human livers (r2 = 0.57, P < 0.001); (4) triacetyloleandomycin and anti-CYP3A4 IgG reduced 10,11-epoxidation to 31 +/- 6% (sixteen livers) and 43 +/- 2% (four livers) of control rates, respectively; and (5) microsomal 10,11-epoxidation but not phenol formation was activated 2- to 3-fold by alpha-naphthoflavone and progesterone and by carbamazepine itself (substrate activation). These findings indicate that CYP3A4 is the principal catalyst of 10,11-epoxide formation in human liver. Experiments utilizing a panel of P450 isoform selective inhibitors also suggested a minor involvement of CYP2C8 in liver microsomal 10,11-epoxidation. Epoxidation by CYP2C8 was confirmed in incubations of carbamazepine with cDNA-expressed CYP2C8. The role of CYP3A4 in the major pathway of carbamazepine elimination is consistent with the number of inhibitory drug interactions associated with its clinical use, interactions that result from a perturbation of CYP3A4 catalytic activity.
An earlier pharmacodynamic study of the chiral antiepileptic drug stiripentol in an intravenous pentylenetetrazol-induced seizure model in the rat showed the development of a significant degree of tolerance to the anticonvulsant and neurotoxic effects following subacute treatment with the racemic compound. A more recent study with the pure enantiomers of stiripentol indicated that the (+)-enantiomer is 2.4 times more potent than the (-)-enantiomer, based on a comparison of brain EC50 values for the anticonvulsant effect. Moreover, (-)-stiripentol has a much longer elimination half-life than (+)-stiripentol. We have re-analyzed the brain and blood samples from the first pharmacodynamic study using a newly developed chiral HPLC assay to investigate whether the tolerance phenomenon with racemic stiripentol was due to a shift in the enantiomeric composition of stiripentol in brain tissue during repetitive administration of racemic drug. A large increase, as much as 5-6-fold, in the (-)/(+) ratio in brain concentration of stiripentol was observed after subacute administration, as compared with that after a single dose of the racemic drug. The enrichment in the less potent enantiomers during repetitive drug administration explains the previous observation of an apparent development of tolerance when the pharmacologic effects were related to total [(-)+(+)] brain concentrations of stiripentol as measured by a non-stereoselective assay. The results of this study highlight the importance of stereoselective pharmacokinetics in investigating the pharmacodynamics of the racemic mixture of a chiral anticonvulsant.
Structural similarities between valproate metabolites and metabolites formed from the beta-oxidation of branched-chain amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, and valine) suggest that valproate may utilize key enzymes of branched-chain amino acid metabolism. Genetic deficiencies in these enzymes may decrease beta-oxidation of valproate and increase formation of valproate hepatotoxic metabolites. We attempted to determine if valproate interacts with branched-chain amino acid enzymes and also evaluated the effect of valproate on the urinary excretion of the straight-chain fatty acids butyrate (C4), valerate (C5), and hexanoate (C6). We collected dosage interval urine samples from three groups of 10 valproate patients: (1) valproate monotherapy, (2) valproate with carbamazepine, and (3) valproate with phenytoin. We also collected 12-hour urine samples from 10 normal volunteers who served as controls. Valproate caused a significant increase in the excretion of the deaminated acid metabolites of valine, isoleucine, and leucine. There were also significant increases in the excretion of the isoleucine metabolites 2-methylbutyrate and 2-methyl-3-OH-butyrate in the valproate patients. Valproate caused a significant increase in the excretion of all three of the straight-chain fatty acids evaluated, and valproate appears to inhibit the four types of acyl-CoA dehydrogenases involved in branched-chain amino acid and short- and medium-chain fatty acid metabolism.