Kinetics of the Inhibition of CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 Activity by Jabara Juice and Identification of the Responsible Inhibitory Components.

Some citrus fruits are known to cause clinically significant drug interactions by inhibiting intestinal cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. This in vitro study aimed to investigate the kinetics of the inhibition of CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 by the juice of jabara, a Japanese citrus fruit that does not contain furanocoumarins such as 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin, and to identify the inhibitory compound(s). CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 activity levels were determined in vitro using recombinant CYP preparations and their respective substrates. The ethyl acetate extract (EAE) of jabara juice was separated to isolate and identify the compound(s) that inhibited CYP3A4. Then, the time-dependent kinetics of the inhibition of CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 by the EAE and its inhibitory compound(s) were analyzed. The EAE of jabara juice was found to inhibit CYP3A4 in a time-dependent manner. Two flavonoids, 3,3',4',5,6,7,8-heptamethoxyflavone (HpMF) and 3,3',4',5,6,7-hexamethoxyflavone (HxMF), were identified as the responsible compounds. HpMF and HxMF inhibited CYP3A4 activity in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, with inhibition constants (K_I) of 10.0 and 7.90 µM and maximal inactivation rate constants (k_inact,max) of 0.00856 and 0.0134 min^-1, respectively. The EAE did not inhibit CYP2C19, even when preincubation was employed. These findings imply that jabara juice may cause food-drug interactions via time-dependent inhibition of intestinal CYP3A4.