Potentially significant versus clinically significant drug interactions: pomegranate juice as a case in point

Abstract

In vitro and in vivo laboratory data show that pomegranate juice consistently inhibits intestinal CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 enzymes. Pomegranate juice may therefore increase the bioavailability of drugs that are metabolized by these enzymes. However, studies in humans find that pomegranate juice does not increase exposure to either CYP2C9 or CYP3A4 substrates. These contradictory findings suggest that potential drug interactions identified in the laboratory may not necessarily translate into clinically significant drug interactions in humans, and hence that laboratory data are insufficient grounds upon which clinical decisions may be based.