ABSTRACT:The aim of the current study is to identify the human cytochrome P450 (P450) isoforms involved in the two oxidative steps in the bioactivation of clopidogrel to its pharmacologically active metabolite. In the in vitro experiments using cDNA-expressed human P450 isoforms, clopidogrel was metabolized to 2-oxo-clopidogrel, the immediate precursor of its pharmacologically active metabolite. CYP1A2, CYP2B6, and CYP2C19 catalyzed this reaction. In the same system using 2-oxo-clopidogrel as the substrate, detection of the active metabolite of clopidogrel required the addition of glutathione to the system. CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 contributed to the production of the active metabolite. Secondly, the contribution of each P450 involved in both oxidative steps was estimated by using enzyme kinetic parameters. The contribution of CYP1A2, CYP2B6, and CYP2C19 to the formation of 2-oxo-clopidogrel was 35.8, 19.4, and 44.9%, respectively. The contribution of CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4 to the formation of the active metabolite was 32.9, 6.76, 20.6, and 39.8%, respectively. In the inhibition studies with antibodies and selective chemical inhibitors to P450s, the outcomes obtained by inhibition studies were consistent with the results of P450 contributions in each oxidative step. These studies showed that CYP2C19 contributed substantially to both oxidative steps required in the formation of clopidogrel active metabolite and that CYP3A4 contributed substantially to the second oxidative step. These results help explain the role of genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 and also the effect of potent CYP3A inhibitors on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of clopidogrel in humans and on clinical outcomes.Clopidogrel is a thienopyridine antiplatelet agent that has been widely used in the management of cardiovascular diseases, including atherothrombosis, unstable angina, and myocardial infarction (Savi and Herbert, 2005). Clopidogrel is an inactive prodrug that needs to be converted to the pharmacologically active metabolite in vivo through the hepatic metabolism to exhibit the antiplatelet effect (Savi et al., 1992). Clopidogrel is first converted by the action of cytochrome P450 (P450) to 2-oxo-clopidogrel (a thiolactone) then in a second step converted to the pharmacologically active, thiol-containing metabolite as shown in Fig. 1 (Savi et al., 2000). The P450 isoforms involved in the bioactivation of clopidogrel have been suggested to be CYP1A2 in rats (Savi et al., 1994) and CYP3A in humans (Clarke and Waskell, 2003), although the contribution of these P450s to produce the active metabolite was still unclear. In addition, several recent clinical studies demonstrated that CYP3A4, CYP3A5, and CYP2C19 have a significant role in the formation of the active metabolite from clopidogrel (Hulot et al., 2006;Suh et al., 2006;Brandt et al., 2007;Farid et al., 2007Farid et al., , 2008. Furthermore, Brandt et al. (2007) reported that loss of function of CYP2C19 due to polymorphisms resulted in decreased exposure to...