Does Cytochrome P450 Liver Isoenzyme Induction Increase the Risk of Liver Toxicity After Paracetamol Overdose?
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Open Access Emergency Medicine Dovepress open access to scientific and medical research Open Access Full Text Article REVIEW Does cytochrome P450 liver isoenzyme induction increase the risk of liver toxicity after paracetamol overdose? Sarbjeet S Kalsi1,2 Abstract: Paracetamol (acetaminophen, N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, 4-hydroxyacetanilide) David M Wood2–4 is the most common cause of acute liver failure in developed countries. There are a number W Stephen Waring5 of factors which potentially impact on the risk of an individual developing hepatotoxicity Paul I Dargan2–4 following an acute paracetamol overdose. These include the dose of paracetamol ingested, time to presentation, decreased liver glutathione, and induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1Emergency Department, 2Clinical Toxicology, Guy’s and St Thomas’ isoenzymes responsible for the metabolism of paracetamol to its toxic metabolite N-acetyl- NHS Foundation Trust, London; p-benzoquinoneimine (NAPQI). In this paper, we review the currently published literature to 3 King’s Health Partners, determine whether induction of relevant CYP isoenzymes is a risk factor for hepatotoxicity in 4King’s College London, London; 5York Teaching Hospital NHS patients with acute paracetamol overdose. Animal and human in vitro studies have shown that For personal use only. Foundation Trust, York, UK the CYP isoenzyme responsible for the majority of human biotransformation of paracetamol to NAPQI is CYP2E1 at both therapeutic and toxic doses of paracetamol. Current UK treatment guidelines suggest that patients who use a number of drugs therapeutically should be treated as “high-risk” after paracetamol overdose. However, based on our review of the available litera- ture, it appears that the only drugs for which there is evidence of the potential for an increased risk of hepatotoxicity associated with paracetamol overdose are phenobarbital, primidone, isoniazid, and perhaps St John’s wort. There is no evidence that other drugs often quoted as increasing risk, such as carbamazepine, phenytoin, primidone, rifampicin, rifabutin, efavirenz, or nevirapine, should be considered risk factors for hepatotoxicity in patients presenting with acute paracetamol overdose. Keywords: paracetamol, overdose, hepatotoxicity, isoenzymes Open Access Emergency Medicine downloaded from https://www.dovepress.com/ by 137.108.70.13 on 14-May-2019 Background Paracetamol (acetaminophen, N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, 4-hydroxyacetanilide) overdose causing fatal hepatotoxicity was first reported in humans in 1966.1,2 Since then, paracetamol poisoning has become the most common cause of acute liver failure in many developed countries/regions, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Scandinavia.3–7 Paracetamol poisoning may result from either an acute overdose (where the drug is ingested at a single point in time, usually within one hour), or as a staggered supratherapeutic ingestion over a longer period. This article will focus on Correspondence: David Wood single-ingestion paracetamol poisoning. Medical Toxicology Office, A number of factors are important in determining the risk of toxicity after Bermondsey Wing, Guy’s Hospital, paracetamol poisoning, and these influence the decision to administer antidotal Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, United Kingdom treatment with N-acetylcysteine.8–13 The plasma paracetamol concentration plotted Tel +44 20 7188 5848 against time after ingestion is compared with a “treatment line” to determine the need Fax +44 20 7188 1289 Email [email protected] for antidotal therapy. There are a number of different treatment lines used around submit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com Open Access Emergency Medicine 2011:3 69–76 69 Dovepress © 2011 Kalsi et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd. This is an Open Access article http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OAEM.S24962 which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) 1 / 1 Kalsi et al Dovepress the world.11–13 In addition, in the UK, there are currently two or death.27,28 An aspartate aminotransferase or alanine ami- treatment lines, ie, one for those deemed to be at usual risk notransferase exceeding 1000 IU/L is generally associated of paracetamol-related hepatotoxicity, and a lower line used with histological changes of centrilobular necrosis of varying for those deemed to be at “high” risk of paracetamol-related severity.29,30 However, for most patients, these changes are hepatotoxicity.9,13,14 Common factors used to determine risk fully reversible, leading to recovery without any long-term of paracetamol-related hepatotoxicity include depletion of damage.29,30 liver glutathione (eg, malnutrition, eating disorders) and Based on data from patients presenting with paraceta- induction of liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 (eg, chronic mol poisoning prior to the introduction of antidotal therapy, ethanol use, phenytoin, or other enzyme-inducing drugs). In Prescott reported that up to 25% of those with severe amin- the UK, the process of determining which treatment line to otransferase-defined hepatotoxicity died.31 This means that base treatment on following a single-time point paracetamol even without N-acetylcysteine, more than 75% of severely overdose is known as “risk stratification”. This relies on both poisoned patients will recover fully. Therefore, although aspar- laboratory measurement of paracetamol concentration and tate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase are used assessment of the patient history to determine the interval to define paracetamol-related hepatotoxicity, a combination after ingestion, which appears to be reasonably reliable in of International Normalised Ratio (INR), plasma creatinine, this patient population.15,16 In addition to determining the metabolic acidosis, and clinical factors, such as the presence need for treatment, clinicians need to consider the potential of encephalopathy, are more reliable at selecting patients who for adverse reactions to the antidote. will either die or require hepatic transplantation.32,33 Mechanism of paracetamol-related Factors reported to be associated hepatotoxicity with increased risk The parent paracetamol molecule is not in itself associated There are a number of factors which potentially impact on with toxicity.17 At therapeutic doses, paracetamol is predomi- the risk of an individual developing hepatotoxicity following For personal use only. nantly metabolized by hepatic sulfation and glucuronidation, an acute paracetamol overdose. These can be broadly divided with less than 5%–10% being metabolized by the hepatic into the following categories: dose of paracetamol ingested; CYP system (predominantly CYP2E1 and CYP3A4) to time from ingestion to treatment with N-acetylcysteine; N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine (NAPQI), a highly reactive increased metabolism of paracetamol to NAPQI due to intermediate metabolite responsible for paracetamol-related induction of the relevant CYP isoenzymes; and reduction hepatotoxicity.18–20 At therapeutic doses of paracetamol, this in liver glutathione stores. In this paper, we will review metabolite is effectively detoxified by reduced glutathione the evidence for increased risk of hepatotoxicity following into cysteine and mercapturic conjugates which are renally paracetamol overdose due to CYP isoenzyme induction excreted.21 Following a supratherapeutic dose or overdose of unrelated to ethanol. paracetamol, glucuronidation/sulfation conjugation pathways are saturated, and therefore a greater proportion of paraceta- Evidence for induction of CYP Open Access Emergency Medicine downloaded from https://www.dovepress.com/ by 137.108.70.13 on 14-May-2019 mol is metabolized to NAPQI.22–24 Intrahepatic glutathione isoenzyme system stores may be insufficient to detoxify the greater NAPQI, and As discussed in the introduction, the toxic metabolite of when glutathione concentrations fall to approximately 30% paracetamol is NAPQI, and this is formed by oxidative metab- of normal, NAPQI covalently binds to hepatic cells.21 This olism via the CYP system.17–20,34 This system is subdivided into is associated with irreversible hepatocellular necrosis which, multiple isoenzyme groups with different substrate specificity. in severe cases, results in liver transplant or death.14 Animal studies in the 1970s demonstrated that paracetamol is metabolized by the CYP system.17,18 More recent inves- Definition of paracetamol-related tigations have centered on which isoenzyme(s) metabolize hepatotoxicity paracetamol, and the CYP1A2, CYP2A6, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, Paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity is classically defined as and CYP3A4 isoenzymes have all been investigated.35–43 an aspartate aminotransferase or alanine aminotransferase The published literature is largely based on in vitro and ani- rise to over 1000 IU/L.25,26 Patients without an aminotrans- mal models, with very few human studies in vivo. We will ferase elevation do not go on to experience acute liver now summarize the available literature on the relative impor- injury and therefore are not at risk of acute liver failure tance of these isoenzymes for paracetamol metabolism. 70 submit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com Open Access Emergency Medicine 2011:3 Dovepress Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) 1 / 1 Dovepress CYP induction and liver toxicity CYP1A2 enhanced paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity following An in vitro study of IgG-mediated inhibition of CYP1A2 overdose.47 However, two separate human volunteer studies and CYP2E1