We developed an assay system to evaluate the cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4-inhibitory activity of compounds, taking account of their cellular permeability, using intestine-derived cell lines pre-treated with the CYP3A4 inducer 1α,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3 (250 nM).Ketoconazole (KTZ), saquinavir (SQV), naringin, naringenin (NGE), bergamottin (BG), 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin (DHBG), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and resveratrol (RES) were evaluated as known CYP3A4 inhibitors. The apparent IC50 (IC50,app) values of known inhibitors were determined in Caco-2 cells with 10 µM midazolam as a CYP3A4 substrate, and compared with the IC50 values in a human liver microsome assay.SQV and BG with high lipophilicity and good membrane permeability show similar concentrations inside and outside the cells, and consequently IC50,app and IC50 are similar.KTZ, EGCG, DHBG, NGE, and RES showed a difference between IC50 and IC50,app. This is considered to result from a difference between the intracellular and extracellular concentrations of the compound, which is likely due to the involvement of efflux and/or influx transporters.This method to evaluate CYP inhibition taking account of membrane permeation should be helpful to assess the potential clinical relevance of drug-drug or drug-food interactions in the gastrointestinal tract.
Keywords: 1α,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3; CYP3A4; Caco-2 cells; IC50; inhibition; membrane permeation; microsomes.