Liver Detoxification

Question 1

What is a Xenobiotic?

Answer 1

A foreign chemical substance not normally found/ produced in the body which cannot used for energy requirements.
Can be absorbed across lungs/skin/ingested
Excreted in bile/urine/sweat/breath

Question 2

Phase 1 reaction

Answer 2

Aims to make the drug more hydophillic so that it can be excreted by the kidneys
It does this by adding an -OH group
can be used for a conjugation reactions

Question 3

Cytochrome P450

Answer 3

Type of microsomal enzyme involved in Phase 1 reactions

Uses Fe2+ to oxidise substances

Question 4

Phase 2 reactions

Answer 4

Synthetic anabolic reactions known as “conjugation reaction”:
attachment of substituent groups (usually inactive products) catalysed by transferases
This significantly increases hydrophillicity for renal excretion

Question 5

Glucuronidation reaction

Answer 5

Essentially adding a glucuronic acid group to the drug to make it more hydrophillic