EFFECTS OF CVT-E002, A PROPRIETARY EXTRACT FROM THE NORTH AMERICAN GINSENG (Panax quinquefolium) ON HEPATIC DRUG-METABOLIZING ENZYMES IN C57BL/6J MICE

CVT-E002, a proprietary extract from North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium) showed immunomodulating activity. Cytochrome P450 (CYP), UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (UGT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) are important drug-metabolizing enzymes. Modulation of drugmetabolizing enzymes is a main cause of drug interactions. To assess the possible metabolism-based drug interaction of CVT-E002, effects of CVT-E002 on hepatic CYP, UGT, and GST were studied in C57BL/6J mice. Treatment of mice with 5g/kg/day CVT-E002 for three days had no effects on liver microsomal CYP and cytochrome b5 contents and NADPH-CYP reductase activity. CVT-E002 had no effect on microsomal CYP catalytic activities of the oxidations of 7-ethoxyresorufin, 7-methoxyresorufin, benzo(a)pyrene, 7-ethoxycoumarin, benzphetamine, N-nitrosodimethylamine, erythromycin, and nifedipine in mouse liver. Hepatic microsomal UGT and cytosolic GST activities were not affected by CVT-E002-treatment. These results suggested that CVT-E002 had no effects on hepatic CYP, UGT, and GST activities in mice under this treatment regimen. There might be low potential of incidence of metabolism-based drug interaction by CVT-E002.