Effect of antibiotic-administration period on hepatic bile acid profile and expression of pharmacokinetic-related proteins in mouse liver, kidney, and brain capillaries

Antibiotic administration affects pharmacokinetics through changes in the intestinal microbiota, and bile acids are involved in this regulation. The purpose of the present study was to clarify the effect of different periods of antibiotic administration on the hepatic bile acid profile and expression of pharmacokinetic-related proteins in mouse liver, kidney, and brain capillaries. Vancomycin and polymyxin B were orally administered to mice for either 5- or 25-days. The hepatic bile acid profile of the 25-day treatment group was distinct. In the liver, the protein expression of cytochrome P450 (Cyp)3a11 showed the greatest reduction to 11.4% after the 5-day treatment and further reduced to 7.01% after the 25-day treatment. Similar reductions were observed for sulfotransferase 1d1, Cyp2b10, carboxylesterase 2e, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (Ugt)1a5, and Ugt1a9. In the kidney and brain capillaries, no drug-metabolizing enzymes or drug transporters were changed with >1.5-fold or <0.66-fold statistical significance in either period. These results suggest that bile acids and metabolizing enzymes in the liver are affected in a period-dependent manner by antibiotic treatment, while the blood-brain barrier and kidneys are less affected. Drug-drug interactions of antibiotics via the intestinal microbiota should be considered by changing drug metabolism in the liver.