Effect of probucol on cytochrome P450 activities in human liver microsomes

The effects of probucol, a cholesterol-lowering agent, on several cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform-specific reactions in human liver microsomes were investigated to predict drug interactions with probucol in vivo from in vitro data. The following eight CYP catalytic reactions were used in this study: CYP1A1/2-mediated 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation, CYP2A6-mediated coumarin 7-hydroxylation, CYP2B6-mediated 7-benzyloxyresorufin O-debenzylation, CYP2C8/9-mediated tolbutamide methylhydroxylation, CYP2C19-mediated S-mephenytoin 4'-hydroxylation, CYP2D6-mediated bufuralol 1'-hydroxylation, CYP2E1-mediated chlorzoxazone 6-hydroxylation, and CYP3A4-mediated testosterone 6beta-hydroxylation. Probucol had neither stimulatory nor inhibitory effects on CYP1Al/2, 2A6, 2B6, 2C8/9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4 activities at concentrations up to 300 microM, indicating that probucol, at the expected therapeutic concentrations, would not be predicted to cause clinically significant interactions with other CYP-metabolized drugs.