Metabolism of strychnine N-oxide and brucine N-oxide by human intestinal bacteria

Chemical constituents, pharmacological action, antitumor application, and toxicity of Strychnine Semen from Strychnons pierriana A.W.Hill.: A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The dried and mature seeds of Strychnons pierriana A.W.Hill. have been called Strychnine Semen(S. Semen). It have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for nearly 400 years. In recent decades, scholars at home and abroad have widely used S. Semen in the treatment of tumor diseases, showing good anti-tumor effects. In this paper, the modern research achievements of S. Semen are reviewed, including traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology.

AIM OF THE STUDY

In recent years, the research on S. Semen has increased gradually, especially the research on its anti-tumor. This paper not only reviewed the traditional uses, chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of S. Semen, but also comprehensively listed the mechanisms of Strychnos in the treatment of different tumors, providing a review for further research and development of Strychnos resources.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review of the literature on Fuzi was performed using several resources, namely classic books on Chinese herbal medicine and various scientific databases, such as PubMed, the Web of Science, and the China Knowledge Resource Integrated databases.

RESULTS

The main constituents of S. Semen include alkaloids, terpenoids, steroids, and their glycosides. Modern studies have proved that S. Semen has a wide range of pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory and analgesic, anti-thrombotic, myocardial cell protection, immune regulation, nerve excitation, and anti-tumor effects. Among them, the anti-tumor effect has been the focus of research in recent years. S. Semen have a certain therapeutic effect on many kinds of tumors, such as liver cancer, colon cancer, and stomach cancer in the digestive system, breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer in the reproductive system, myeloma and leukemia in the blood system, and those in the nervous system and the immune system.

CONCLUSION

Strychnine has an inhibitory effect on a variety of tumors. However, modern studies of strychnine are incomplete, and more in-depth studies are needed on its stronger bioactive constituents and potential pharmacological effects. The antitumor effect of Strychnine is worth further exploration.

A Combination of In Silico ADMET Prediction, In Vivo Toxicity Evaluation, and Potential Mechanism Exploration of Brucine and Brucine N-oxide-A Comparative Study

Brucine (BRU) and brucine N-oxide (BNO) are prominent, bioactive, and toxic alkaloids in crude and processed Semen Strychni. Studies have demonstrated that BRU and BNO possess comprehensive pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and analgesic. In this context, a comparative study of BRU and BNO was performed by combination analysis of in silico ADMET prediction, in vivo toxicity evaluation, and potential action mechanism exploration. ADMET prediction showed that BRU and BNO might induce liver injury, and BRU may have a stronger hepatoxic effect. The prediction was experimentally verified using the zebrafish model. The BRU-induced hepatotoxicity of zebrafish larvae had a dose-response relationship. The mechanism of BRU-induced hepatotoxicity might relate to phosphorylation, kinase activity, and signal transduction. By comparison, signal transduction and gap junctions might involve BNO-induced hepatotoxicity. Our results provided a better understanding of BRU- and BNO-induced hepatotoxicity. We also built a foundation to elucidate the material base of the hepatotoxicity of traditional Chinese medicine Semen Strychni.

Potential roles of gut microbes in biotransformation of natural products: An overview

Natural products have been extensively applied in clinical practice, characterized by multi-component and multi-target, many pharmacodynamic substances, complex action mechanisms, and various physiological activities. For the oral administration of natural products, the gut microbiota and clinical efficacy are closely related, but this relationship remains unclear. Gut microbes play an important role in the transformation and utilization of natural products caused by the diversity of enzyme systems. Effective components such as flavonoids, alkaloids, lignans, and phenols cannot be metabolized directly through human digestive enzymes but can be transformed by enzymes produced by gut microorganisms and then utilized. Therefore, the focus is paid to the metabolism of natural products through the gut microbiota. In the present study, we systematically reviewed the studies about gut microbiota and their effect on the biotransformation of various components of natural products and highlighted the involved common bacteria, reaction types, pharmacological actions, and research methods. This study aims to provide theoretical support for the clinical application in the prevention and treatment of diseases and provide new ideas for studying natural products based on gut biotransformation.

The science behind TCM and Gut microbiota interaction-their combinatorial approach holds promising therapeutic applications

The trend toward herbal medicine as an alternative treatment for disease medication is increasing worldwide. However, insufficient pharmacologic information is available about the orally taken medicines. Not only herbal medicine, but also Western drugs, when passing through the gastrointestinal tract, interact with trillions of microbes (known as the gut microbiome [GM]) and their enzymes. Gut microbiome enzymes induce massive structural and functional changes to the herbal products and impact the bioavailability and efficacy of the herbal therapeutics. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) researchers extend the horizon of TCM research to the GM to better understand TCM pharmacology and enhance its efficacy and bioavailability. The study investigating the interaction between herbal medicine and gut microbes utilizes the holistic approach, making landmark achievements in the field of disease prognosis and treatment. The effectiveness of TCM is a multipathway modulation, and so is the GM. This review provides an insight into the understanding of a holistic view of TCM and GM interaction. Furthermore, this review briefly describes the mechanism of how the TCM-GM interaction deals with various illnesses.

Intestinal and hepatic biotransformation of pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxides to toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are among the most significant groups of phytotoxins present in more than 6000 plants in the world. Hepatotoxic retronecine-type PAs and their corresponding N-oxides usually co-exist in plants. Although PA-induced hepatotoxicity is known for a long time and has been extensively studied, the toxicity of PA N-oxide is rarely investigated. Recently, we reported PA N-oxide-induced hepatotoxicity in humans and rodents and also suggested the association of such toxicity with metabolic conversion of PA N-oxides to the corresponding toxic PAs. However, the detailed biochemical mechanism of PA N-oxide-induced hepatotoxicity is largely unknown. The present study investigated biotransformation of four representative cyclic retronecine-type PA N-oxides to their corresponding PAs in both gastrointestinal tract and liver. The results demonstrated that biotransformation of PA N-oxides to PAs was mediated by both intestinal microbiota and hepatic cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs), in particular CYP1A2 and CYP2D6. Subsequently, the formed PAs were metabolically activated predominantly by hepatic CYPs to form reactive metabolites exerting hepatotoxicity. Our findings delineated, for the first time, that the metabolism-mediated mechanism of PA N-oxide intoxication involved metabolic reduction of PA N-oxides to their corresponding PAs in both intestine and liver followed by oxidative bioactivation of the resultant PAs in the liver to generate reactive metabolites which interact with cellular proteins leading to hepatotoxicity. In addition, our results raised a public concern and also encouraged further investigations on potentially remarkable variations in PA N-oxide-induced hepatotoxicity caused by significantly altered intestinal microbiota due to individual differences in diets, life styles, and medications.

A study of Semen Strychni-induced renal injury and herb-herb interaction of Radix Glycyrrhizae extract and/or Rhizoma Ligustici extract on the comparative toxicokinetics of strychnine and brucine in rats

Recently, the renal injury caused by Semen strychni and its major toxic constituents, strychnine and brucine, was reported in many clinical cases. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the renal injury induced by Semen Strychni and the protective effects of Radix Glycyrrhizae and Rhizoma Ligustici. The protective mechanisms were related to the comparative toxicokinetics of strychnine and brucine. Serum and urine uric acid and creatinine were used as renal function markers to evaluate the condition of kidney, and renal injury was directly reflected by histopathological changes. Compared with rats in blank group and protective herb groups, rats in Semen Strychni high-dose group showed significant differences in the results of renal function markers, and various glomerular and tubular degenerations were found in the histopathological study. The decreased AUC (only strychnine) and Cmax, the increased Tmax by Radix Glycyrrhizae and the decreased T1/2 by Radix Glycyrrhizae and Rhizoma Ligustici were found in model groups. Results indicated that high dose of Semen Strychni might induce renal injury. Radix Glycyrrhizae and Rhizoma Ligustici might work together and have effects on the elimination of strychnine and brucine. The protective effects of Radix Glycyrrhizae might also be explained by the slow absorption of the alkaloids.

Intestinal bacterial transformation - a nonnegligible part of Chinese medicine research

Intestinal bacteria play an essential part in the metabolism of the constituents of herbal drugs, and a lot of investigations have been done to unveil their functions and mechanisms in modification of these constituents and their effect. This review provides a progressive description of intestinal bacterial transformation with respect to properties, reactions, correlation with the effect of herbal drugs, research interests, and methodology. In addition, the problems encountered during the investigation are addressed and perspectives are proposed.

Metabolism and pharmacokinetics of novel selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 inhibitor apatinib in humans

Apatinib is a new oral antiangiogenic molecule that inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. The present study aimed to determine the metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and excretion of apatinib in humans and to identify the enzymes responsible for its metabolism. The primary routes of apatinib biotransformation included E- and Z-cyclopentyl-3-hydroxylation, N-dealkylation, pyridyl-25-N-oxidation, 16-hydroxylation, dioxygenation, and O-glucuronidation after 3-hydroxylation. Nine major metabolites were confirmed by comparison with reference standards. The total recovery of the administered dose was 76.8% within 96 hours postdose, with 69.8 and 7.02% of the administered dose excreted in feces and urine, respectively. About 59.0% of the administered dose was excreted unchanged via feces. Unchanged apatinib was detected in negligible quantities in urine, indicating that systemically available apatinib was extensively metabolized. The major circulating metabolite was the pharmacologically inactive E-3-hydroxy-apatinib-O-glucuronide (M9-2), the steady-state exposure of which was 125% that of the apatinib. The steady-state exposures of E-3-hydroxy-apatinib (M1-1), Z-3-hydroxy-apatinib (M1-2), and apatinib-25-N-oxide (M1-6) were 56, 22, and 32% of parent drug exposure, respectively. Calculated as pharmacological activity index values, the contribution of M1-1 to the pharmacology of the drug was 5.42 to 19.3% that of the parent drug. The contribution of M1-2 and M1-6 to the pharmacology of the drug was less than 1%. Therefore, apatinib was a major contributor to the overall pharmacological activity in humans. Apatinib was metabolized primarily by CYP3A4/5 and, to a lesser extent, by CYP2D6, CYP2C9, and CYP2E1. UGT2B7 was the main enzyme responsible for M9-2 formation. Both UGT1A4 and UGT2B7 were responsible for Z-3-hydroxy-apatinib-O-glucuronide (M9-1) formation.

Metabolism and disposition of vatalanib (PTK787/ZK-222584) in cancer patients

Vatalanib (PTK787/ZK-222584) is a new oral antiangiogenic molecule that inhibits all known vascular endothelial growth factor receptors. Vatalanib is under investigation for the treatment of solid tumors. Disposition and biotransformation of vatalanib were studied in an open-label, single-center study in patients with advanced cancer. Seven patients were given a single oral (14)C-radiolabeled dose of 1,000 mg of vatalanib administered at steady state, obtained after 14 consecutive daily oral doses of 1,000 mg of nonradiolabeled vatalanib. Plasma, urine, and feces were analyzed for radioactivity, vatalanib, and its metabolites. Metabolite patterns were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to radioactivity detection with off-line microplate solid scintillation counting and characterized by LC-MS. Vatalanib was well tolerated. The majority of adverse effects corresponded to common toxicity criteria grade 1 or 2. Two patients had stable disease for at least 7 months. Plasma C(max) values of (14)C radioactivity (38.3 +/- 26.0 microM; mean +/- S.D., n = 7) and vatalanib (15.8 +/- 9.5 microM) were reached after 2 and 1.5 h (median), respectively, indicating rapid onset of absorption. Terminal elimination half-lives in plasma were 23.4 +/- 5.5 h for (14)C radioactivity and 4.6 +/- 1.1 h for vatalanib. Vatalanib cleared mainly through oxidative metabolism. Two pharmacologically inactive metabolites, CGP-84368/ZK-260120 [(4-chlorophenyl)-[4-(1-oxy-pyridin-4-yl-methyl)-phthalazin-1-yl]-amine] and NVP-AAW378/ZK-261557 [rac-4-[(4-chloro-phenyl)amino]-alpha-(1-oxido-4-pyridyl)phthalazine-1-methanol], having systemic exposure comparable to that of vatalanib, contributed mainly to the total systemic exposure. Vatalanib and its metabolites were excreted rapidly and mainly via the biliary-fecal route. Excretion of radioactivity was largely complete, with a radiocarbon recovery between 67% and 96% of dose within 7 days (42-74% in feces, 13-29% in urine).

Metabolism and disposition of imatinib mesylate in healthy volunteers

Imatinib mesylate (GLEEVEC, GLIVEC, formerly STI571) has demonstrated unprecedented efficacy as first-line therapy for treatment for all phases of chronic myelogenous leukemia and metastatic and unresectable malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Disposition and biotransformation of imatinib were studied in four male healthy volunteers after a single oral dose of 239 mg of (14)C-labeled imatinib mesylate. Biological fluids were analyzed for total radioactivity, imatinib, and its main metabolite CGP74588. Metabolite patterns were determined by radio-high-performance liquid chromatography with off-line microplate solid scintillation counting and characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Imatinib treatment was well tolerated without serious adverse events. Absorption was rapid (t(max) 1-2 h) and complete with imatinib as the major radioactive compound in plasma. Maximum plasma concentrations were 0.921 +/- 0.095 mug/ml (mean +/- S.D., n = 4) for imatinib and 0.115 +/- 0.026 mug/ml for the pharmacologically active N-desmethyl metabolite (CGP74588). Mean plasma terminal elimination half-lives were 13.5 +/- 0.9 h for imatinib, 20.6 +/- 1.7 h for CGP74588, and 57.3 +/- 12.5 h for (14)C radioactivity. Imatinib was predominantly cleared through oxidative metabolism. Approximately 65 and 9% of total systemic exposure [AUC(0-24 h) (area under the concentration time curve) of radioactivity] corresponded to imatinib and CGP74588, respectively. The remaining proportion corresponded mainly to oxidized derivatives of imatinib and CGP74588. Imatinib and its metabolites were excreted predominantly via the biliary-fecal route. Excretion of radioactivity was slow with a mean radiocarbon recovery of 80% within 7 days (67% in feces, 13% in urine). Approximately 28 and 13% of the dose in the excreta corresponded to imatinib and CGP74588, respectively.

Biotransformation of alkaloids

Biotransformations of alkaloids over the last decade have continued to encompass a wide variety of substrates and enzymes. The elucidation of novel alkaloid biosynthetic and catabolic pathways will continue to furnish new biocatalysts for the synthetic organic chemist. Furthermore, an improved understanding of the genetic and biochemical basis of metabolic pathways will also permit the engineering of pathways in plants and other heterologous hosts for the production of therapeutically important alkaloids. The combination of increasing commercial interest and advances in molecular biology will facilitate the availability of robust biocatalysts which are a prerequsite to achieve economically feasible processes for the production of alkaloid-based therapeutics.

Biotransformation of alkaloids

Biotransformations of alkaloids over the last decade have continued to encompass a wide variety of substrates and enzymes. The elucidation of novel alkaloid biosynthetic and catabolic pathways will continue to furnish new biocatalysts for the synthetic organic chemist. Furthermore, an improved understanding of the genetic and biochemical basis of metabolic pathways will also permit the engineering of pathways in plants and other heterologous hosts for the production of therapeutically important alkaloids. The combination of increasing commercial interest and advances in molecular biology will facilitate the availability of robust biocatalysts which are a prerequsite to achieve economically feasible processes for the production of alkaloid-based therapeutics.