Influence of phenytoin on the disposition of irinotecan: a case report.

Irinotecan (CPT-11), a water-soluble topoisomerase I inhibitor, is metabolized by carboxylesterase enzymes to form an active metabolite, SN-38. Recent studies have shown that irinotecan also undergoes oxidative metabolism by the P450 isozyme CYP3A4, leading to the formation of a minor inactive metabolite, 7-ethyl-10-[4-N-[(5-aminopentanoic acid)-1-piperidino]-carbonyloxy-camptothecin (APC). The elucidation of this metabolic pathway suggests the potential for drug interactions when irinotecan is administered with other inducers or substrates of CYP3A4.