Metabolism & Elimination Flashcards
First-order kinetics
The amount of drug metabolised per unit time is proportional to the plasma concentration of the drug (Cp)
Zero-order kinetics
- A constant amount of drug is metabolized per unit time
- Metabolic capacity can become saturated at higher concentrations
Inducible biotransforming enzymes
Drug-metabolizing systems are inducible, broad-spectrum enzymes with some predictable genetic variations
Three essential aspects of drug metabolism
- First-order kinetics
- Zero-order kinetics
- Inducible biotransforming enzymes
Name 4 ways metabolism can occur
- Convert an active drug into an inactive drug.
- Convert an active drug to an active or toxic metabolite.
- Convert an inactive prodrug to an active drug .
- Convert a non-excretable drug to an excretable metabolite (lipophillic to hydrophillic)
Main site of metabolism
Liver
Primary goal of metabolism
Drug inactivation
How does the liver carry out metabolism?
Uses enzymes to convert drug from one form to another (usually less active) form.
Cytochrome P450 system
- Large group of related enzymes in the liver
- Main job is detoxifying foreign chemicals including drugs
Liver enzymes
- Embedded in smooth endoplasmic reticulum
- Drug must cross plasma membrane to get there
- More important for lipophilic drugs
Smooth Endoplasmic reticulum:
- Responsible for proteins to function within a system
- For folding and transporting proteins and enzymes
Phase I reactions
“Functionalisation”
Giving the drug some activity controlled by 3 processes
* Oxidation
* Reduction
* Hydrolysis
Phase II reactions
Conjugation
- adding molecules to metabolites to change function
Phenytoin
- Highly lipophillic molecule
- React with membranes and enzymes in metabolic system
- More soluble in water, can pass better through blood
- Drug activated in phase 1
- 4HP changed by UGT which is glucuronide and makes it soluble in water
Cytochrome P450 enzymes
- Haem Proteins
- Large superfamily of related enzymes
- CYP + number
How do cytochrome P450 enzymes differ from each other?
- Amino acid sequence
- sensitivity to inhibitors and inducers
- specificity of reactions they catalyse
Oxidation
Drug oxidation requires:
* Drug (‘DH’)
* Cytochrome P450 enzyme
* Molecular oxygen
* NADPH (reduced coenzyme)
* NADPH-P450 reductase
Ferrus enzyme state 3+
- Drug come in, moves across membrane .
- Input of electron from NADPH changes iron state from 3+ to 2+ state.
- Ferrus state binding to drug oxygen bonds aswell as enzyme drug oxygen complex.
- Ferrus is converted back to ferric state and OH is removed from complex with electron left water generated out (electron removed).
- Transfer of oxygen to drug creating hydroxyl ending up with DOH, Drug hydroxyl state generated.
- Cleavage of DOH from iron portion drug (center of enzyme).
- Hydroxyl metabolite kicked out of system and cycle can restart again.
Phase I Reactions not involving CYP450
Alcohol dehydrogenase
* Methanol to formaldehyde (toxic)
Monamine oxidase
* Oxidation of catecholamines and tyramine