Selaginella tamariscina (Beauv.) has been used for traditional herbal medicine for treatment of cancer, hepatitis, and diabetes in the Orient. Numerous bioactive compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, lignans, and selaginellins have been identified in this medicinal plant. Among them, selaginellins having a quinone methide unit and an alkylphenol moiety have been known to possess anticancer, antidiabetic, and neuroprotective activity. Although there have been studies on the biological activities of selaginellins, their modulatory potential of cytochrome P450 (P450) and uridine 5'-diphosphoglucuronosyltransferase (UGT) activities have not been previously evaluated. In this study, we investigated the drug interaction potential of two selaginellins on ten P450 isoforms (CYP1A2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, 2J2 and 3A) and six UGT isoforms (UGT1A1, 1A3, 1A4, 1A6, 1A9 and 2B7) using human liver microsomes and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Selaginellin and selaginellin M had high inhibitory potential for CYP2C8-mediated amodiaquine O-demethylation with IC50 values of 0.5 and 0.9 μM, respectively. Selaginellin and selaginellin M also showed medium inhibitory potential against CYP2C9, CYP2J2, UGT1A1, and UGT1A3 (1 μM < IC50 < 5 μM). These two selaginellins had low inhibitory potential against CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2E1, and UGT1A6 (IC50 > 25 μM). This information might be helpful to predict possible drug interaction potential of between selaginellins and co-administered drugs.
Keywords: cytochrome P450; drug interaction; mass spectrometry; selaginellins; uridine 5′-diphosphoglucuronosyltransferase.