The clinical effectiveness of opioid maintenance for heroin dependence is believed to result from a medication's ability to decrease mu-opioid receptor (muOR) availability thereby replacing agonist effects, alleviating withdrawal symptoms and attenuating heroin effects. We empirically tested this hypothesis in five heroin-dependent volunteers who were successively maintained on 32, 16, 2, and 0 mg daily buprenorphine (BUP) tablet doses. We predicted and confirmed that higher BUP doses would decrease in vivo muOR availability (measured with PET and [(11)C]carfentanil), increase plasma levels of BUP and its metabolite nor-BUP, and decrease withdrawal symptoms and hydromorphone (HYD) responses. Relative to placebo, BUP significantly decreased mean (+/-SEM) whole-brain muOR availability 41+/-8, 80+/-2, and 84+/-2% at 2, 16, and 32 mg, respectively. Regions of interest (ROIs) (prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, thalamus, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, caudate) showed similar dose-dependent effects. Changes in muOR availability varied across ROIs (prefrontal cortex, 47% vs amygdala, 27%) at BUP 2 mg, but were more homogeneous across ROIs at BUP 32 mg (94-98%; except thalamus, 88%). Relative to placebo (0 ng/ml), peak plasma levels of BUP and nor-BUP were comparable and dose-dependent (0.5-1, 5-6, and 13-14 ng/ml at 2, 16, and 32 mg, respectively). muOR availability decreases were negatively correlated with BUP plasma level and positively correlated with questionnaire-based opioid withdrawal symptoms and attenuation of HYD symptoms. These findings suggest that high-dose BUP maintenance produces near-maximal muOR occupation, muOR availability correlates well with plasma levels, and BUP-related opioid symptoms and antagonist blockade exhibit concentration-effect relationships.

Capsaicin is a common dietary constituent and a popular homeopathic treatment for chronic pain. Exposure to capsaicin has been shown to cause various dose-dependent acute physiological responses including the sensation of burning and pain, respiratory depression, and death. In this study, the P450-dependent metabolism of capsaicin by recombinant P450 enzymes and hepatic and lung microsomes from various species, including humans, was determined. A combination of LC/MS, LC/MS/MS, and LC/NMR was used to identify several metabolites of capsaicin that were generated by aromatic (M5 and M7) and alkyl hydroxylation (M2 and M3), O-demethylation (M6), N- (M9) and alkyl dehydrogenation (M1 and M4), and an additional ring oxygenation of M9 (M8). Dehydrogenation of capsaicin was a novel metabolic pathway and produced unique macrocyclic, diene, and imide metabolites. Metabolism of capsaicin by microsomes was inhibited by the nonselective P450 inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole (1-ABT). Metabolism was catalyzed by CYP1A1, 1A2, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, 2D6, 2E1, and 3A4. Addition of GSH (2 mM) to microsomal incubations stimulated the metabolism of capsaicin and trapped several reactive electrophilic intermediates as their GSH adducts. These results suggested that reactive intermediates, which inactivated certain P450 enzymes, were produced during catalytic turnover. Comparison of the rate and types of metabolites produced from capsaicin and its analogue, nonivamide, demonstrated similar pathways in the P450-dependent metabolism of these two capsaicinoids. However, production of the dehydrogenated (M4), macrocyclic (M1), and omega-1-hydroxylated (M3) metabolites was not observed for nonivamide. These differences may be reflective of the mechanism of formation of these metabolites of capsaicin. The role of metabolism in the cytotoxicity of capsaicin and nonivamide was also assessed in cultured lung and liver cells. Lung cells were markedly more sensitive to cytotoxicity by capsaicin and nonivamide. Cytotoxicity was enhanced 5 and 40% for both compounds by 1-ABT in BEAS-2B and HepG2, respectively. These data suggested that metabolism of capsaicinoids by P450 in cells represented a detoxification mechanism (in contrast to bioactivation).

In vitro metabolism of methadone was investigated in cytochrome P450 (CYP) supersomes and phenotyped human liver microsomes (HLMs) to reconcile past findings on CYP involvement in stereo-selective metabolism of methadone. Racaemic methadone was used for incubations; (R)-and (S)-methadone turnover and (R)-and (S)-EDDP formation were determined using chiral liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. CYP supersome activity for methadone use and EDDP formation ranked CYP2B6 > 3A4 > 2C19 > 2D6 > 2C18, 3A7 > 2C8, 2C9, 3A5. After abundance scaling, CYP3A4, 2B6 and 2C19 accounted for 63-74, 12-32 and 1. 4-14% of respective activity. CYP2B6, 2D6 and 2C18 demonstrated a preference for (S)-EDDP formation; CYP2C19, 3A7 and 2C8 for (R)-EDDP; 3A4 none. Correlation analysis with 15 HLMs supported the involvement of CYP2B6 and 3A. The significant correlation of S ⁄ R ratio with CYP2B6 activity confirmed its stereo-selectivity. CYP2C19 and 2D6 inhibitors and monoclonal antibody (mAb) did not inhibit EDDP formation in HLM. Chemical and mAb inhibition of CYP3A in high 3A activity HLM reduced EDDP formation by 60-85%; inhibition of CYP2B6 in 2B6 high-activity HLM reduced (S)-EDDP formation by 80% and (R)-EDDP formation by 55%. Inhibition changed methadone metabolism in a stereo-selective manner. When CYP3A was inhibited, 2B6 mediated (S)-EDDP formation predominated; S ⁄ R stereo-selectivity increased. When 2B6 was inhibited (S)-EDDP formation fell and stereo-selectivity decreased. The results confirmed the primary roles of CYPs 3A4 and 2B6 in methadone metabolism; CYP2C8 and 2C9 did not appear involved; 2C19 and 2D6 have minimal roles. CYP2B6 is the primary determinant of stereo-selective metabolism; stereo-selective inhibition might play a role in varied plasma concentrations of the two enantiomers.Methadone is a l-opioid receptor agonist that is used for the treatment of chronic pain and opioid dependence. Clinically, it is used in the racaemic form; (R)-methadone has higher affinity at l and d opioid receptors [1] and greater analgesic activity [2]. Pharmacokinetic studies in human beings have also found differences between the two isomers, with (R)-methadone having significantly longer elimination half-life, greater volume of distribution, and lower protein binding [3][4][5]. Methadone is subject to numerous pharmacokinetic drug interactions; these are thought to primarily occur at cytochrome P450 (CYP) sites of methadone metabolism [6][7][8][9]. The stereo-selectivity of the drug interaction may be of importance; interactions that increase or decrease (R)-methadone may lead to toxicity (i.e. respiratory depression) or withdrawal, respectively; interactions that increase (S)-methadone may increase the incidence of prolonged QT intervals [10].Since the initial studies on CYP involvement in the in vitro metabolism of methadone [11,12], five other laboratories have investigated comparative involvement of different CYPs in methadone metabolism [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Most of these in vitro studies focused on th...

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Objective-In utero exposure to drugs of abuse can lead to the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a condition that is associated with prolonged hospitalization. Buprenorphine is a partial mu opioid agonist used for treatment of adult detoxification and maintenance, but has never been administered to neonates with opioid abstinence. The primary objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and to the extent possible in this sized study, the safety of sublingual buprenorphine in the treatment of NAS. Secondary goals were to evaluate efficacy relative to standard therapy and to characterize buprenorphine pharmacokinetics when sublingually administered.Methods-We conducted a randomized, open-label, active control study of sublingual buprenorphine for the treatment of opiate withdrawal. Thirteen term infants were allocated to sublingual buprenorphine 13.2-39 mcg/kg/day administered in three divided doses and thirteen to standard of care oral neonatal opium solution (NOS). Dose decisions were made using a modified Finnegan scoring system. Results-Sublingual buprenorphine was largely effective in controlling NAS. Greater than 98% of plasma concentrations ranged from undetectable to approximately 0.60 ng/ml, which is less than needed to control abstinence symptoms in adults. The ratio of buprenorphine to norbuprenorphine was larger than that seen in adults, suggesting a relative impairment of N-dealkylation. Three infants receiving buprenorphine and one infant receiving standard of care reached protocol-specified maximum doses and required adjuvant therapy with phenobarbital. The mean length of treatment for the NOS group was 32 compared to 22 days for the buprenorphine group. The mean length of stay for the NOS group was 38 days compared to 27 days for the buprenorphine group. Treatment with buprenorphine was well tolerated.Conclusions-Buprenorphine administered via the sublingual route is feasible and apparently safe, and may represent a novel treatment for NAS.

The opioid partial agonist medication, buprenorphine (BUP), and its primary metabolite, norbuprenorphine (NBUP), are extensively glucuronidated. Sensitive analytical methods that include determination of buprenorphine-3-glucuronide (BUPG) and norbuprenorphine-3-glucuronide (NBUPG) are needed to more fully understand the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of buprenorphine. A method has now been developed that uses solid-phase extraction followed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. BUP-d4, NBUP-d3, and morphine-3-glucuronide-d3 were used as internal standards. The lower limit of quantitation was 0.1 and 0.5 ng/mL for each of the analytes in 1-mL of human plasma and urine, respectively, except for NBUP in urine in which it was 2.5 ng/mL. The analytes were stable under the following conditions: plasma and urine at room temperature, up to 20 hours; plasma and urine at -20 degrees C for 119 and 85 days, respectively; plasma freeze-thaw, up to 3 cycles; processed sample, up to 96 hours at -20 degrees C and up to 48 hours on the autosampler; stock solutions at room temperature and at -20 degrees C, up to 6 hours and 128 days, respectively. In plasma collected from 5 subjects on maintenance daily sublingual doses of 16 mg BUP and 4 mg naloxone, respective 0- to 24-hour areas under the curve were 32, 88, 26, and 316 ng/mL x h for BUP, NBUP, BUPG, and NBUPG. In urine samples respective percent of daily dose excreted in the 24-hour urine were 0.014%, 1.89%, 1.01%, and 7.76%. This method allowed us to determine that NBUPG is a major metabolite present in plasma and urine of BUP. Because urinary elimination is limited ( approximately 11% of daily dose), the role of NBUPG in total clearance of buprenorphine is not yet known.