title: In vitro drug metabolism testing using blood-monocyte derivatives.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Monocytes and their cell derivatives can participate in drug metabolism. These cells express different Phase-I or -II drug metabolizing enzymes and can be differentiated into neo-hepatocytes (NeoHep) and represent a promising alternative strategy to test drug metabolism. This is particularly useful as primary human hepatocytes (PHH), are difficult to obtain and maintain in culture.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors analyze the use of blood monocytes and their derivatives for the study of drug metabolism. They also compare them to the in vitro ability of cells from different sources including: PHH, immortalized hepatocytes, tumor cell lines and NeoHep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of monocytes, macrophages, dendritic or Kupffer cells, to test drug metabolism, has serious limitations because these cells express lower levels of cytochrome P450 enzymes than PHH. The best available option, to replace PHH, have been tumor cell lines such as HepaRG, as well as immortalized hepatocytes from adult or fetal sources. Monocyte-derived NeoHep cells are novel and easily accessible cells, which express many drug metabolizing enzymes at levels comparable to PHH. These cells allow drug evaluation under a diverse genetic background. While these cells are in the early stages of evaluation and do need to be examined more thoroughly, they constitute a promising new tool for in vitro drug testing.
authors.affiliation: National Autonomous University of Mexico, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Biology , Mexico City, D.F. 04510 , Mexico +52 55 5622 3820 ; +52 55 5616 2010 ; mcerbon85@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gómez-Icazbalceta
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: González-Sánchez
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Marco A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cerbón
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cervantes
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000378:metabolism; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System