Probe substrates assay estimates the effect of polyphyllin H on the activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes in human liver microsomes.

Cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) play a crucial role in phase I metabolic reactions. The activity of CYPs would affect therapeutic efficacy and may even induce toxicity. Given the complex components of traditional Chinese medicine, it is important to understand the effect of active ingredients on CYPs activity to guide their prescription. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of polyphyllin H on the activity of CYPs major isoforms providing a reference for the clinical prescription of polyphyllin H and its source herbs. The effects of polyphyllin H were evaluated in pooled human liver microsomes using probe substrates of CYP1A2, 2A6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4 to determine their activities. The Lineweaver-Burk was used to model the inhibition, and a time-dependent inhibition experiment was performed to understand the characteristics of the inhibition. Polyphyllin H significantly suppressed the activity of CYP1A2, 2D6, and 3A4 with IC values of 6.44, 13.88, and 4.52 μM, respectively. The inhibition of CYP1A2 and 2D6 was best fitted with a competitive model, yielding the inhibition constant (K) values of 3.18 and 6.77 μM, respectively. The inhibition of CYP3A4 was fitted with the non-competitive model with the K value of 2.38 μM. Moreover, the inhibition of CYP3A4 was revealed to be time-dependent with the inhibition parameters inhibition constant (KI) and inactivation rate constant (K) values of 2.26 μM and 0.045 min. Polyphyllin H acted as a competitive inhibitor of CYP1A2 and 2D6 and a non-competitive and time-dependent inhibitor of CYP3A4.