Bio-activation of 4-alkyl analogs of 1,4-dihydropyridine mediated by cytochrome P450 enzymes.

4-Alkyl-substituted 1,4-dihydropyridines (DHP) exhibit inhibitory activity toward certain cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450) during their biotransformation by these enzymes, which is called mechanism-based inactivation. Though much experimental evidence had proved the essentiality of alkyl radical for P450 inactivation, the underlying mechanism of such radical formation remains elusive. In the present study, density functional calculations were employed to investigate the dealkylation mechanism of 4-alkyl-substituted DHPs mediated by P450. Interestingly, our results indicate that the initial N-H activation proceeds via a proton-coupled electron transfer process, not via the long presumed hydrogen atom transfer mechanism or the stepwise electron transfer/proton transfer one, to form the amino radical and Cpd II complex. Subsequently, homolytic C-C bond cleavage at the 4-position occurs to afford the product complex involving an alkyl radical, an aromatic pyridine derivative. This C-C cleavage step is rate determining for the whole metabolic reaction, with an energy barrier of 7.9/7.9 kcal/mol on the quartet/doublet state, to which aromatization contributes as an essential intrinsic driving force. The 4-substituent groups induce differences in activation energy barriers and in the transition state structures of hydrogen abstraction process. The substrate reactivity correlates well with the stability of the generated alkyl radical as well as the C-C bond dissociation energy. Understanding the metabolic mechanism of DHP analogs is indeed essential for the related design of safer and more efficient drugs. Furthermore, our findings also enrich the mechanistic picture of amine oxidation catalyzed by P450.