Biotransformation & Drug Response Modifiers

 

Any compound that enters the body must either be incorporated into the normal function of the body or be eliminated.

The most common way of eliminating a substance is through renal excretion.

 

Compounds to be excreted must have a good deal of water solubility.  If a compound is not sufficiently water soluble the body must change it in some way to increase its water solubility.  When the body acts to change the chemical structure of a substance it is known as biotransformantion.

 

Biotransformation is very complex.

 

            It is structurally specific

            It is emzyme meatiated

            It requires energy

            It is unidirectional

           

 

Phase I vs Phase II biotransformation

 

Phase I            Introduce a functional group

                        Include oxidation, reduction, or hydrolysis

                        Cytochromes P450 or heme-thiolate P450 are a family of enzymes that act on substances to convert them

from a lipid to an aqueous soluble material

See Figure 13-1

Substrates for each enzyme in the family have similar structural requirements.  Thus we can sometime predict the potential metabolic fate of a compound based on the structural similarities to compounds whose metabolism is well known.

Tables 13-1,2,3,&4 Show example substrates for four different members of the P450 family of enzymes.

Please note the similarities in the substrate functional groups and electronic status of the compounds at physiological state.

 

Individual variability in response to drugs can sometimes be traced to individual variation in the % of the Cytochromes of each type. See figure 13-2.

You can see that changes in the amount of CYP2E1 could dramatically increase or decrease the rate of metabolism of ethanol. 

 

We can now phenotype people and use that information to help predict or at least explain drug sensitivity (either increased or decreased effectiveness)

 

Some drugs alter the effectiveness of the enzymes in the body and can affect the metabolism and subsequent clearance of other drugs.  Both enzyme induction and enzyme inhibition can occur.

 

Please review carefully table 13-5 on page 145.

 

Phase II         Conjugation

                     Add a functional group or compound which increase water solubility

                     Glucuronidation or Sulfate are the most common

                     Can be responsible for age dependent difference in pharmacokinetics of some drugs.

 

Specific Factors that Influence Drug Metabolism

                     Stereoselectivity

                     Chronopharmacokinetics

                     First Pass

 

Michaelis-Menton Kinetics

 

                     dC/dt  =    -      Vmax iC

                                             Km + C

 

This equation is very important.  You will see it over and over again.  Get to understand it as soon as possible!!!

 

Factors that Influence Response

 

            Chapter 30 on pages 377 to 385

 

                        Body Weight

                        Age Newborn, Children, Aged(>65)

                        Sex

                        Body Temperature

                        Gastric Emptying

                        Blood Flow Rates

                        Environment

                        Nutrition

                        Pregnancy

                        Genetics          

                        Circadian Rhythm

                        Cardiovascular Diseases

                        Renal Diseases

                        Liver Diseases

 

SEE TABLE 30-1 on page 383