Inhibitory effects of anticancer drugs on dextromethorphan-O-demethylase activity in human liver microsomes

The dextromethorphan-O-demethylase activity determined in human liver microsomes was used to screen various anticancer drugs for their ability to inhibit this cytochrome CYP2D6-dependent activity. Competitive inhibition indicates that the drug binds the enzyme and is potentially subjected to a polymorphic metabolism. Among the 13 anticancer drugs tested, 4 compounds caused competitive inhibition of dextromethorphan-O-demethylation: lomustine (Ki = 7.7 microM), doxorubicin (Ki = 75 microM), vinorelbine (Ki = 22 microM), and vinblastine (Ki = 42 microM). The results of these studies indicate that the metabolism of the drugs concerned is possibly altered in poor metabolizers of debrisoquine and requires further investigation to study their specific routes of biotransformation. The metabolism of these drugs probably involves various biotransformation pathways, among which the CYP2D6-dependent route would be of minor importance. A second hypothesis is that these drugs could be inhibitors of the isozyme without being a substrate.