Effect of N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen upon DNA adduct formation by tamoxifen and alpha-hydroxytamoxifen.

Gonçalo Gamboa da Costa, M Matilde Marques, Xin Fu, Mona I Churchwell, Yu-Ping Wang, Daniel R Doerge, Frederick A Beland

Centro de Química Estrutural, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal.

Cancer letters 2007 Nov 18

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Tamoxifen undergoes sequential metabolism to N-desmethyltamoxifen and N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen. Whereas N-desmethyltamoxifen is a major metabolite in humans, nonhuman primates, and rats, appreciable concentrations of N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen are formed in humans and nonhuman primates but not in rats. This difference in the extent of N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen formation may be important because it has been proposed that N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen inhibits the cytochrome P450 (CYP)-catalyzed alpha-hydroxylation of tamoxifen and resultant tamoxifen-DNA adduct formation. To test this hypothesis directly, we compared the extent of tamoxifen-DNA adduct formation in rats co-administered 27micromol N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen per kg body weight and either 27micromol tamoxifen per kg body weight or 27micromol alpha-hydroxytamoxifen per kg body weight daily for 7days. Female Sprague-Dawley rats treated with N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen had a 44% decrease (p >0.05) in CYP 3A2 content (the CYP isoform responsible for tamoxifen alpha-hydroxylation), an 18% decrease (p =0.010) in CYP 3A activity, and higher blood levels of tamoxifen and N-desmethyltamoxifen compared to rats treated with solvent. Total tamoxifen-DNA adduct levels were 4.1-fold higher (p <0.001) in rats given alpha-hydroxytamoxifen as compared to tamoxifen. N,N-Didesmethyltamoxifen treatment caused a 1.2-fold increase in total tamoxifen-DNA adduct levels with both tamoxifen and alpha-hydroxytamoxifen, a difference that was not significant. These results indicate that, with this experimental model, N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen does not impair the metabolism of tamoxifen to a reactive electrophile.

Citation

Gonçalo Gamboa da Costa, M Matilde Marques, Xin Fu, Mona I Churchwell, Yu-Ping Wang, Daniel R Doerge, Frederick A Beland. Effect of N,N-didesmethyltamoxifen upon DNA adduct formation by tamoxifen and alpha-hydroxytamoxifen. Cancer letters. 2007 Nov 18;257(2):191-8