Effects of sinapic acid on hepatic cytochrome P450 3A2, 2C11, and intestinal P-glycoprotein on the pharmacokinetics of oral carbamazepine in rats: Potential food/herb-drug interaction

Abstract Dietary supplements, herbal medicines, and other foods may affect the pharmacokinetics and/or pharmacodynamics of carbamazepine (CBZ), which may possibly lead to potential drug–drug/herb–drug interactions, as CBZ has a narrow therapeutic window. Sinapic acid (SA) is a bioactive phytoconstituent used as a dietary supplement for the treatment of epilepsy. This study determined the effects of SA on the pharmacokinetics of CBZ and proposed a possible interaction mechanism in twenty-four male wistar rats (180–210 g). A single CBZ dose (80 mg/kg) was administered orally to rats with or without SA pretreatment (20 mg/kg p.o. per day for 7 days, n = 6). The CBZ concentration in plasma samples was determined by using a sensitive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography assay. The pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by using non-compartmental analysis. Significance was determined through Dunnett’s multiple comparison test or one-way analysis of variance as appropriate; p  max , T max , AUC 0-t , AUC 0-∞ , T ½ , and k el ) of CBZ was evaluated after the administration of CBZ alone or after CBZ co-administration with SA pretreatment. The plasma concentration of CBZ was higher after SA pretreatment than that without pretreatment. The pharmacokinetics of orally administered CBZ were found to be significantly altered (p  max , AUC 0−t , T 1/2 , and MRT of CBZ were 29.79%, 57.18%, 77.18%, and 58.31%, respectively, whereas the k el and apparent oral CL/F were significantly reduced (p  max of CBZ in rats pretreated with SA compared to that in rats that did not receive pretreatment. The enhancement in Cmax, AUC 0−t , T 1/2, and MRT and the reduction in K el and CL/F values resulted from the significant inhibition of CYP3 A2, the CYP2C11-mediated metabolism of CBZ in the liver, and the inhibition of intestinal P-glycoprotein/MDR1, which enhanced the rate of CBZ absorption. Further studies are required to determine the clinical relevance of these observations.