Research developments about the interaction of venlafaxine with cytochrome P450

Venlafaxine is a new antidepressant drug which is a mixed serotonin and noradrena- line reuptake inhibitor,CYP3A4 and CYP2D6 are involved in the metabolism of venlafaxine.Venlafaxine is biotransformed by the cytochrome P450(CYP)isozyme 2D6 to its major metabolite,O-desmethylven- lafaxine(ODV),and in parallel to N-desmethylvenlafaxine(NDV)by CYP3A4.At clinically relevant dosages,venlafaxine lacks appreciable CYP3A4 inductive or inhibitory activity.But the activity of CYP2D6 directly influences the metabolism and concentration in serum of venlafaxine and ODV.Due to the genetic polymorphism of CYP2D6,different phenotypes have different metabolic capacities for ven- lafaxine.Moreover,the Poor metabolizer(PM)increases the risk of side effects.Some research demon- strates that the metabolic ratio of venlafaxine and ODV[log(VENL/ODV)]may serve as an indication of aberrant metabolism.It could help us to detect the most of aberrant genotypes more easily.