Inhibitory effects of the medicinal herb, Thonningia san gunea, on liver drug metabolizing enzymes of rats

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Abstract
In this study we examined the effect of the aqueous extract of Thonningia sanguinea (T.S.) on 7-ethoxyresorufin 0- deethylase (EROD, CYPlAl), 7-pentoxyresorufin-dealkylase (PROD, CYP2B1/2), 7-methoxyresorufin 0- demethylase (MROD, CYP1A2), aniline hydroxylase (aniline, CYP2E1), p-nitrophenol hydroxylase (PNPH, CYP2E1) and erythromycin N-demethylase (ERDM, CYP3A1) in rat liver in vitro and in vivo. Although T.S. extract increased ERDM activity in induced rat liver microsomes, it showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effectin vitro on other P450 monooxygenase activities particularly EROD and PROD, which are mediated primarily by CYPlAl and CYP2B1/2, respectively. PROD, EROD and MROD activities were also decreased by 18%, 19% and 40%, respectively, in hepatic microsomes prepared from rats treated with T.S. extract for 3 days. Kinetic analysis of CYP activity of 3-methylchloranthrene-induced microsomes demonstrated that T.S. inhibited EROD and MROD activities by a noncompetitive and competitive mechanism, respectively. The analysis of alterations produced by T.S. on PROD kinetic parameters in phenobarbital-induced microsomes suggested that the inhibition is noncompetitive. Pretreatment of rats with T.S. prolonged pentobarbital and phenobarbital sleeping time; however, plasma phenobarbital concentration determined on awakening showed no significant difference between control and T.S.-treated rats. T.S. was also found to be a potent inhibitor of the liver cytosolic glutathione S-transferase. These data suggest that selective modulation of CYP isoenzymes by T.S. might con-tribute to protection of the liver from xenobiotic-induced intoxication or to alteration of the action of drug (s) conco-mitantly administered besides its antioxidative properties.