Differential effects of fibrates on the metabolic activation of 2-phenylpropionic acid in rats

A series of studies were conducted to explore the inductive potential of different fibric acid derivatives on the two alternative metabolic activation pathways of 2-phenylpropionic acid (2-PPA) (a model substrate for profen drugs), namely acyl-CoA formation and acyl glucuronidation, in vivo in rats, and to evaluate whether such treatment could potentially modulate the covalent binding of profens to hepatic protein. After administration of a single dose of 2-PPA (130 mg/kg) to rats pretreated with equimolar doses of clofibric acid (160 mg/kg/day), fenofibrate (260 mg/kg/day), or gemfibrozil (180 mg/kg/day) for 7 days, rat livers were collected and analyzed for covalent binding and hepatic levels of the two reactive metabolites over a 2-h period. Results showed that the three fibrates exhibited very different effects on the hepatic levels of 2-PPA-S-acyl CoA (2-PPA-CoA) in vivo, even though all three significantly increased acyl-CoA synthetase activity in vitro in liver homogenate. Treatment with clofibric acid markedly increased the hepatic exposure of 2-PPA-CoA by 2.9-fold and led to a 25% increase (p < 0.05) in covalent binding of 2-PPA to liver protein. In contrast, significant decreases of the hepatic levels of 2-PPA acyl glucuronide and/or 2-PPA-CoA by fenofibrate and gemfibrozil significantly lowered the covalent binding of 2-PPA to hepatic protein. Together, these results suggest that fibrates exhibit markedly different abilities to alter the extent of covalent binding of 2-PPA to hepatic protein by differentially modulating the hepatic exposure of the two reactive metabolites of 2-PPA, namely 2-PPA-CoA thioester and acyl glucuronide.