Involvement of a Cytochrome P4502D Subfamily in Human Liver Microsomal Bunitrolol 4-Hydroxylation

The oxidative metabolism of bunitrolol, an adrenergic β-receptor antagonist was examined in human liver microsomes fortified with an NADPH-generating system. The microsomal fractions (n=11) showed bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activities, which correlated well with CYP2D6 contents (correlation coefficient, r = 0.854), debrisoquine 4-hydroxylase (r = 0.953) and imipramine 2-hydroxylase (r = 0.976) activities. On the other hand, the bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activity showed relatively poor correlations with CYP3A4 content (r = 0.552) and testosterone 6β-Miydroxylase activity (r = 0.668). The bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activity was significantly inhibited by quinidine, a selective inhibitor for CYP2D6. Polyclonal antibodies raised against rat liver microsomal cytochrome P450BTL, which is thought to belong to the CYP2D subfamily, effectively inhibited bunitrolol 4-hydroxylation. In contrast, polyclonal antibodies raised against human liver microsomal CYP3A4 did not show any inhibitory effect on the activity. These results suggest that CYP2D6 is involved in the bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activity in human liver microsomes.