Identification of the Significant Involvement and Mechanistic Role of CYP3A4/5 in Clopidogrel Bioactivation.

The clinical response to the antiplatelet prodrug clopidogrel is associated with high intersubject variability and a certain level of therapeutic resistance. Previous studies have suggested that genetic polymorphism of CYP2C19 might be one determinant of clopidogrel efficacy and led to the CYP2C19 genotype-tailored antithrombotic therapy. However, evidence against the role of CYP2C19 from multiple studies implied the involvement of other factors. Here, we report that prodrug activation of the thiophene motif in clopidogrel is attenuated by heavy metabolic attrition of the piperidine motif. CYP3A4/5 was identified to be the enzyme metabolizing the piperidine motif. Inhibiting CYP3A4/5-mediated attrition was shown to potentiate active metabolite formation, which was found to be catalyzed by multiple CYP enzymes. Identifying the significant involvement of CYP3A4/5 and characterizing its mechanistic role in clopidogrel bioactivation might assist future pharmacogenomic studies in exploring the full mechanism underlying clopidogrel efficacy.