Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a widely prescribed anticonvulsant whose use is often associated with idiosyncratic hypersensitivity. Sera of CBZ-hypersensitive patients often contain anti-CYP3A antibodies, including those to a CYP3A23 K-helix peptide that is also modified during peroxidative CYP3A4 heme-fragmentation. We explored the possibility that cytochromes P450 (P450s) such as CYP3A4 bioactivate CBZ to reactive metabolite(s) that irreversibly modify the P450 protein. Such CBZ-P450 adducts, if stable in vivo, could engender corresponding serum P450 autoantibodies. Incubation with CBZ not only failed to inactivate functionally reconstituted, purified recombinant CYP3A4 or CYP3A4 Supersomes in a time-dependent manner, but the inclusion of CBZ (0-1 mM) also afforded a concentration-dependent protection to CYP3A4 from inactivation by NADPH-induced oxidative uncoupling. Incubation of CYP3A4 Supersomes with (3)H-CBZ resulted in its irreversible binding to CYP3A4 protein with a stoichiometry of 1.58 +/- 0.15 pmol (3)H-CBZ bound/pmol CYP3A4. Inclusion of glutathione (1.5 mM) in the incubation reduced this level to 1.09. Similar binding (1.0 +/- 0.4 pmol (3)H-CBZ bound/pmol CYP3A4) was observed after (3)H-CBZ incubation with functionally reconstituted, purified recombinant CYP3A4(His)(6). The CBZ-modified CYP3A4 retained its functional activity albeit at a reduced level, but its testosterone 6beta-hydroxylase kinetics were altered from sigmoidal (a characteristic profile of substrate cooperativity) to near-hyperbolic (Michaelis-Menten) type, suggesting that CBZ may have modified CYP3A4 within its active site.