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Recommendations on the Development of a Bioanalytical Assay for 4β-Hydroxycholesterol, an Emerging Endogenous Biomarker of CYP3A Activity

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Abstract

The availability of reliable assays for measuring 4β-hydroxycholesterol (4β-HC), a CYP3A metabolite of cholesterol, is an important step in qualifying this endogenous moiety as a biomarker of CYP3A activity. Liquid and gas chromatographic methods with mass spectrometric detection have been developed with varying sensitivities, with or without derivatization. Care must be taken to chromatographically resolve 4β-HC from the multiple isobaric cholesterol oxidation products present in plasma, including 4α-hydroxycholesterol (4α-HC). Plasma concentrations of 4β-HC are low in humans (10–60 ng/ml), lower than many other cholesterol metabolites and far less than cholesterol itself. Stability of 4β-HC has been established for at least 12 months at −20°C in plasma samples obtained with a typical clinical workflow. Oxidation of plasma cholesterol during storage produces both 4β-HC and 4α-HC, and 4α-HC may be used as assessment of sample quality. As 4β-HC concentrations over time in untreated individuals have low intra-individual variability, assay precision and reproducibility are the key assay attributes in assessing CYP3A4 induction, and potentially inhibition. Assessment of CYP3A4/5 activity with 4β-HC relies on the differences between pre- and post-dose concentrations, in which each subject acts as their own control. To reduce analytical variability, samples from a single subject should be analyzed together to facilitate interpretation of study results. As an endogenous biomarker, 4β-HC offers the opportunity for less invasive assessment of CYP3A induction potential of new drugs during clinical development.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Leif Bertilsson for extensive conversations preceding the work of this group in defining the scope and background for the paper, and Tony Parry for providing the Astra Zeneca experience with non-derivatized assays. The authors are grateful to those who provided input into this work, in particular Frank La Creta, Jialin Mao, and Marcel Hop for their review of the manuscript. All authors contributed equally to the literature review and writing of this paper and are all listed in alphabetical order.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Analytical and Bioanalytical Operations, Route 206 and Province Line Road, Princeton, New Jersey, 08540, USA

    Anne-Françoise Aubry

  2. Genentech, Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, South San Francisco, California, USA

    Brian Dean

  3. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ulf Diczfalusy

  4. Technical Operations, Amicus Therapeutics, Cranbury, New Jersey, USA

    Angela Goodenough

  5. Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    André Iffland

  6. Drug Development, Galleon Pharmaceuticals, Horsham, Pennsylvania, USA

    James McLeod

  7. Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Metabolism, Janssen Research & Development, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA

    Naidong Weng

  8. Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Novartis, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA

    Ziping Yang

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  1. Anne-Françoise Aubry
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Correspondence to Anne-Françoise Aubry.

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Aubry, AF., Dean, B., Diczfalusy, U. et al. Recommendations on the Development of a Bioanalytical Assay for 4β-Hydroxycholesterol, an Emerging Endogenous Biomarker of CYP3A Activity. AAPS J 18, 1056–1066 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1208/s12248-016-9949-3

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