Evaluation of the inhibitory effect of azoles on pharmacokinetics of lenvatinib in rats both in vivo and in vitro by UPLC‐MS/MS

BACKGROUND: Lenvatinib is a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor used in the treatment of a variety of solid tumors. This study aims to investigate the potential pharmacokinetic interactions between lenvatinib and various azoles (ketoconazole, voriconazole, isavuconazole and posaconazole) when orally administered to rats. METHODS: A total of 30 Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly allocated into five groups and administered 20 mg/kg of ketoconazole, voriconazole, isavuconazole and 30 mg/kg of posaconazole and 0.5% CMC‐Na, through gavage for a duration of 7 days prior to the commencement of the experiment. On the final day, the rats were given 10 mg/kg of lenvatinib. The blood concentration of lenvatinib was determined using UPLC‐MS–MS. In vitro lenvatinib were incubated with azoles and rat liver microsomes (RLMs) or human liver microsomes (HLMs). Molecular docking was lastly used to examine the binding strength of the enzymes and ligands with Autodock Vina. RESULTS: AUC and C (max) of lenvatinib significantly increased with each of the azoles (p < 0.05), whereas CLz/F decreased 0.83‐flod, 0.41‐fold (p < 0.05) and 0.72‐fold (p < 0.01) in voriconazole, isavuconazole and ketoconazole in rats. The IC50 of lenvatinib with the azoles were 0.237, 1.300, 0.355 and 2.403 μM in RLMs and 0.160, 1.933, 3.622 and 1.831 μM in HLMs. Molecular docking analysis suggested that azoles exhibited a strong binding ability towards the target enzymes. CONCLUSION: It is imperative to acknowledge the potential drug–drug interactions mediated by CYP3A4 between azoles and lenvatinib, as these interactions hold significant implications for their clinical utilization.