Week 21 Flashcards
What is first pass metabolism?
A drugs metabolism either by the intestines or liver after it is ingested before it has access to the circulatory system.
What is xenobiotics?
Foreign substances (not natural to the body)
What are 4 ways biotransformation/metabolism can alter drugs?
- Active drug –> inactive drug
- Active drug –> active or toxic metabolite
- Inactive prodrug –> active drug
- Un-excretable drug –> excretable metabolite (to enhance renal or biliary clearance)
Where are drugs metabolised?
- Mostly in the liver
- Decent amount In the small intestine
- Can also occur in the lungs, nasal passages, kidneys
- As well as all cells in the body (smaller scale)
What is bioavailability?
Fraction of administered drug that reaches the systemic circulation
Eg IV injection = 100% bioavailability
What is phase one metabolism?
Trying to prime - usually reduces water solubility
Add functional group
Reveal functional group
Exchange functional group
What are the main Phase 1 enzymes?
- Cytochrome P450 haeme protein mono-oxygenases (CYP) (huge 75% of all drug metabolism)
- Flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO)
- Epoxide hydrolases (EH)
What is the most important Phase 1 enzyme?
Cytochrome P450 enzymes (75% of all drug metabolism)
What is a phase two metabolism?
Tagging something onto it - to drive excretion
What is phase two metabolism?
Conjugation reactions
What does phase two metabolism usually result in?
Inactive hydrophilic products - ready for excretion
Is phase 1 or phase 2 faster?
Phase 2 is usually faster than phase 1
What are some potential changes in liver metabolism and that can affect drug interactions?
- Fast metabolism- lose therapeutic efficacy
2. Slow metabolism- increased therapeutic effect or adverse drug reactions or toxicity
What are some effects drugs may have on metabolism to cause altered effects?
- Drugs may inhibit metabolism enzymes- which would cause plasma levels on other drugs in the system to rise.
- Drug competition - is A and B are metabolised by the same enzyme –> plasma levels will depend on the affinity of each drug and their concentration.
- Drugs inhibiting enzymes which catalyze the conversion of prodrugs.
- Drug inducers- enzyme induction - some drugs activate transcription and induce expression of drug metabolizing enzymes (can impact other drugs and cause the inducer drugs own metabolism)
What are some potential effects of pharmacogenomics on metabolism of drugs?
- Enhance enzyme activity
2. Reduce/eliminate enzyme activity
How is alcohol is metabolised by the liver?
- Alcohol dehydrogenase –> converts to acetaldehyde
2. Acetaldehyde –> acetic acid (by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)
What is the issues with acetaldehyde?
Reactive and toxic compound Can cause: 1. Flushing 2. Tachycardia 3. Hyperventilation 4. Panic and distress
How is paracetamol metabolised?
Predominately phase 2 metabolism –> nontoxic glucuronide and sulfate conjugates –> finally excreted in urine
How might alcohol and paracetamol interact?
- Alcohol metabolism may cause glutathione depletion
2. Alcohol can cause hepatotoxicity –> same with paracetamol is there is conjugation saturation (NAPQI build up)
What happens in paracetamol overdose?
- There is a saturation of the conjugation
- NAPQI produced which binds glutathione –> to be excreted in urine
- Glutathione is eventually depleted
- NAPQI increases (highly reactive metabolite)
- Cell death
- Hepatic necrosis
What is the treatment for paracetamol overdose?
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) –> hydrolyzed to cysteine
This is the rate limiting factor in glutathione synthesis –> increased glutathione –> increased conjugation to NAPQI and then urine excretion
How does overuse of opioids normally kill people?
Respiratory depression
How can metabolism effect opioid analgesic effect?
In the example of codeine:
1. Codeine is a weak opioid by itself 2. Is converted into morphine for increased relief 2. Most people metabolise 10% of codeine to morphine. 3. Hence changes in this metabolism ability can have massive impacts of the analgesic effect of codeine.
What is st John’s Wort and what is it used for?
depression
What mechanisms does the liver employ to detoxify drugs and metabolic byproducts?
There is Phase I and Phase II mechanisms:
Phase I = oxidation/reduction/ hydrolysis of a drug (CYP enzymes)
Phase II = conjugation of drug or phase I product with another molecule to inactivate the drug etc.
What is biological oxidation?
It is the loss of electrons (/loss of energy)
What is biological reduction?
The gain of electrons (/gain energy)
What is a feature of Oxidation and reduction reactions?
They are always coupled - when one substance is Oxidised another must be Reduced.
What is a free radical?
Unstable species - due to an unpaired electron in their outer shell.
What is the risk of free radicals?
- They are highly reactive- react with other compounds to capture their missing electron to regain stability.
- In doing so generates another free radical though (chain reaction)
What is superoxide free radicals?
Reactive oxygen species - any oxygen containing molecules including oxides and peroxides.
How are reactive oxygen species derived?
Metabolism of oxygen –> within the mitochondria (aerobic metabolism)
Apart from metabolism what are other sources of free radicals?
Environmental source - smoking, air pollution etc.
What can excessive ROS (reactive oxygen species) have on a cell?
- Oxidize- protein, lipids and DNA
2. Mitochondrial damage –> lead to energy failure –> cell death
What is an antioxidant?
A substance that inhibits oxidation or reactions promoted by oxygen, peroxides or free radicals.
How do antioxidants function and ultimately prevent damage by free radicals?
They donate the missing electrons to ROS to terminate potentially damaging chain reactions.
- Stabilize free radicals before they cause damage.
What are two types of antioxidants?
Natural or synthetic
What are the major dietary antioxidants?
Flavonoids and carotenoids
What vitamins are major antioxidants?
Vitamins (A, C, E)
What is the role of glutathione?
It is a major antioxidant in the body produced by enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) and is involved in the clearance of ROS.