Metabolism and Excretion Flashcards
Metabolism and excretion together are called?
drug elimination
What is biotransformation?
metabolism or degradation of a drug from an active form to its inactive form
What is clearance (Cl)?
removal of the drug from the body?
What is the first pass effect?
oral drug passes through the liver for degradation before distribution into tissues
What is Half-life (t½)?
time required for total drug concentration in the body to be reduced by 50%
What is a prodrug?
precursor to an active drug
What is pKa?
describes how acidic (or not) a given hydrogen atom in a compound is
What is metabolism?
2
Change drug into water-soluble form
Promotes excretion
What is excretion?
removal of drug from the body
What organs are involved in metabolism?
4
(whats the main one?)
Liver
Kidneys
Intestines
Enzymes in blood (e.g., esterases)
What are the funciton of these organs involved in metabolism?
2
- Detoxify drugs and other foreign substances
- Active to less active/inactive forms (i.e. metabolites) - Activation of prodrugs
- Inactive precursor or “parent drug” to active metabolite or “active drug”
What is the primary means of metabolism and where does it occur?
enzyme reactions and they occur in the liver
Describe phase I of metabolism?
Drugs become more polar and water-soluble. This makes them more prone to renal elimination
What kind of reactions are phase I reactions?
Oxidation, hydrolysis, reduction
Describe phase II of metabolism
Drugs are conjugated and are usually inactivated or become more water-soluble. This makes them more prone to renal elimination
What kind of reactions are phase II reactions?
Formation of glucuronides, acetates, sulfates
What are active metabolites?
Ex?
Possess ability to exert effects on body
codeine to morphine
Active forms: Clarinex and prednisolone
What are inactive metabolites?
Ex?
No appreciable function
Plavix to carboxylic acid metabolite
What are toxic metabolites?
Two ex?
Lead to cell damage or other adverse effects
Demerol can cause a build up of its metabolite normeperidine
which can lead to seizures
Acetaminophen can cause a build up of NAPQI
What enzymes are involved in phase I metabolism?
CYP enzymes
What can CYP enzymes do?
They can either induce or inhibited by other drugs or substances
What detemines the amount of CYP enzymes you have?
2
- geneotype variations
2. disease-induced changes can affect CYP enzymes availability
What is induction?
And what does it result in?
Drug or substance increases enzyme expression (e.g., caffeine)
Results in faster metabolism
Activates the enzymes itself
What is activation?
And what does it result in?
Drug or substance binds to enzyme to increase the activity of the enzyme
Results in faster metabolism
Works on the activated enzyme
What is inhibition? 2
What does this result in?
- Drug or substance with greater affinity for the enzyme competes with a drug or substance with less affinity
OR
- Enzyme expression is reduced (enzymes are not activated e.g., cirrhosis)
Results in slower metabolism
What do plasma esterases do?
3
- Catalyze the hydrolysis of ester groups
- Usually leave drugs inactive
- Can activate some prodrugs
How to plasma esterases relate to organ function?
They are ubiquitous, independent of organ function
What organs are involved in drug excretion? 5
And what is the main organ?
Kidneys – primary Lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract Lungs Skin Glands (sweat, mammary, and salivary)
What is the forcible removal of drugs called?
Dialysis
What the most important organ for elimination?
kidneys
What are the three things drugs entering the nephron might end up doing?
- Exert an action (such as diuretics)
- Be reabsorbed into the bloodstream
- Progress to the collecting duct and be excreted from there
What are the three processes by which a drug can be excreted?
Glomerular filtration
Active tubular secretion
Passive tubular reabsorption
What is glomerular filtration and what kind of compounds is it best for?
Unbound drug is filtered into tubule
Best for hydrophilic, ionized compounds
Describe active tubular secretion
2
Transporters move conjugated metabolites into the tubule
Separate systems for organic acids and bases
Describe passive tubular secretion
Some non-ionic drug passively diffuses out of the tubule
Weak acids are excreted faster in what form of urine?
alkalized. Because weak acids cannot be reabsorbed in a basic environemt?