Potential of decursin to inhibit the human cytochrome P450 2J2 isoform

CYP2J2 enzyme is highly expressed in human tumors and carcinoma cell lines, and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, CYP2J2-mediated metabolites, have been implicated in the pathologic development of human cancers. To identify a CYP2J2 inhibitor, 50 natural products obtained from plants were screened using astemizole as a CYP2J2 probe substrate in human liver microsomes. Of these, decursin noncompetitively inhibited CYP2J2-mediated astemizole O-demethylation and terfenadine hydroxylation activities with Ki values of 8.34 and 15.8 μM, respectively. It also showed cytotoxic effects against human hepatoma HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner while it did not show cytotoxicity against mouse hepatocytes. The present data suggest that decursin is a potential candidate for further evaluation for its CYP2J2 targeting anti-cancer activities. Studies are currently underway to test decursin as a potential therapeutic agent for cancer.