Measurement of Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Induction and Inhibition in Human Hepatoma Cells

Abstract

Cytochrome P450 enzymes are a diverse group of catalytic enzymes in the liver that are mainly responsible for the biotransformation of organic substances. Cytochrome P450 activity as well as both its induction and inhibition are key factors in drug biotransformation and can be involved in deactivation, activation, detoxification and toxification processes. Thus, the modulation of cytochrome P450 activity is an important parameter when evaluating the potential toxicity of chemical compounds using an in vitro system. The cytochrome P450 3A subfamily proteins are among the most important drug-metabolizing enzymes in human liver and are responsible for about half of all cytochrome P450-dependent drug oxidations. In vitro, these enzymes are active not only in primary human hepatocyte cultures, but also in differentiated human hepatoma HepaRG cells. The present protocol describes the culture of cryopreserved differentiated HepaRG cells and the evaluation of its cytochrome P450 activity upon exposure to a chemical compound using a commercially available luminogenic cytochrome P450 assay. This in vitro model can be used to monitor the induction and inhibition of cytochrome P450 3A following exposure to a particular test compound.