Inhibition of cytochrome P450 enzymes and uridine 5′-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferases by vicagrel in human liver microsomes: A prediction of potential drug-drug interactions

Abstract

Vicagrel, an antiplatelet drug candidate targeting platelet P2Y12 receptor and has finished its phase II clinical trial. The inhibition of six major cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450) (CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4) and six UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) (UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A9, and UGT2B7) by vicagrel was evaluated using pooled human liver microsomes and specific probe substrates. Physiology-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) simulation was further applied to predict the in vivo drug-drug interaction (DDI) potential between vicagrel and bupropion as well as S-mephenytoin. The results suggested that vicagrel inhibited CYP2B6 and CYP2C19 potently with apparent IC50 values of 1.6 and 2.0 μM, respectively. In terms of mode of reversible inhibition, vicagrel exhibited mixed-type inhibition of CYP2B6-catalyzed bupropion hydroxylation and noncompetitive inhibition of CYP2C19-mediated S-mephenytoin 4′-hydroxylation with Ki values of 0.19 μM and 1.2 μM, respectively. Vicagrel displayed profound time-dependent inhibition towards CYP2B6 with maximal rate constant of inactivation (kinact) and half-maximal inactivator concentration (KI) values of 0.062 min−1 and 1.52 μM, respectively. No time-dependent inhibition by vicagrel was noted for CYP2C19. For UGT, negligible to moderate inhibition by vicagrel was observed with IC50 values of >50.0, >50.0, 28.2, 8.7, >50.0 and 28.2 μM for UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A9 and UGT2B7, respectively. In terms of mode of reversible inhibition, vicagrel exhibited mixed-type inhibition of UGT1A6-catalyzed N-Acetylserotonin β-D-glucuronidation with a Ki value of 5.6 μM. No time-dependent inhibition by vicagrel was noted for UGT1A6. PBPK simulation indicated that neither altered AUC nor Cmax of bupropion and S-mephenytoin was observed in the presence of vicagrel. Our study provides inhibitory constants for future DDI prediction between vicagrel and drug substrates of CYP2B6, CYP2C19 and UGT1A6. In addition, our simulation suggests the lack of clinically important DDI between vicagrel and bupropion or S-mephenytoin.