Severely Impaired and Dysregulated Cytochrome P450 Expression and Activities in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Implications for Personalized Treatment in Patients

This study aims to systematically determine the cytochrome P450s (CYPs) activities and expressions in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients to support their optimal use in personalized treatment of HCC. Activities of seven major drug-metabolizing CYP enzymes (CYP1A2, 2A6, 2C8, 2C9, 2D6, 2E1 and 3A4) were determined in tumors and pericarcinomatous tissues harvested from 26 patients with HBV-positive HCC using probe substrates. Protein and mRNA levels of these CYPs were also measured using isotope label-free LC-MS/MS method and real-time PCR, respectively. Maximal metabolic velocity (Vmax) of CYP probe substrates were decreased by 2.5- to 30-fold in tumor microsomes, accompanied by a corresponding decrease in their protein and mRNA expression levels. However, Km values and turnover numbers of substrates in tumor microsomes were not changed. High correlations between activities and CYP protein levels were also observed, but the correlation between activities and mRNA levels were often poor. There was a major decrease in the degree of correlation in CYP expression in tumor tissues, suggesting that CYP expression levels are greatly disrupted by the tumorigenic process. Our unprecedented systemic study of the effects of HCC on CYPs demonstrated that activities of CYPs were seriously impaired and their expression patterns were severely altered by HCC. We proposed that determination of the CYP protein expression profile by LC-MS/MS in each patient is a promising approach that can be clinically used for individualized treatment of HCC.