Regioselective Versatility of Monooxygenase Reactions Catalyzed by CYP2B6 and CYP3A4: Examples with Single Substrates

Hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes have broad and overlapping substrate specificity and catalyze a variety of monooxygenase reactions, including aliphatic and aromatic hydroxylations, N-hydroxylations, oxygenations of heteroatoms (N, S, P and I), alkene and arene epoxidations, dehalogenations, dehydrogenations and N-, O- and S-dealkylations. Individual CYP enzymes typically catalyze the oxidative metabolism of a common substrate in a regioselective and stereoselective manner. In addition, different CYP enzymes often utilize different monooxygenase reactions when oxidizing a common substrate. This review examines various oxidative reactions catalyzed by a CYP enzyme acting on a single substrate. In the first example, 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47), a halogenated aromatic environmental contaminant, was oxidatively biotransformed by human CYP2B6. Nine different metabolites of BDE-47 were produced by CYP2B6 via monooxygenase reactions that included aromatic hydroxylation, with and without an NIH-shift, dealkylation and debromination. In the second example, lithocholic acid (3a-hydroxy-5 beta-cholan-24-oic acid), an endogenous bile acid, served as a substrate for human CYP3A4 and yielded five different metabolites via aliphatic hydroxylation and dehydrogenation reactions.