Current Drug Metabolism - Volume 11, Issue 8, 2010

The occurrence of drugs and trace amounts of their metabolites in the aqueous environment has become a global problem. Nowadays, general information about drug use patterns results from indirect methods such as anonymous surveys and police crime statistics. Unfortunately, these sources of information determine drug use consumption indirectly and give only rough estimations about drug use trends. Therefore, in Read More

Enzymatic carbonyl reduction means the formation of a hydroxy function out of a ketone or aldehyde moiety and applies for the metabolism of physiological (endogenous) or xenobiotic (exogenous) molecules. As for endogenous substrates, carbonyl reduction is often part of a reversible oxidoreductase process and involves the activation or inactivation of important signal molecules like steroids, prostaglandins, retinoids a Read More

5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) belongs to a group of naturally-occurring psychoactive indolealkylamine drugs. It acts as a nonselective serotonin (5-HT) agonist and causes many physiological and behavioral changes. 5-MeO-DMT is O-demethylated by polymorphic cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) to an active metabolite, bufotenine, while it is mainly inactivated through the deamination pathway me Read More

Thienopyridine antiaggregating platelet agents (clopidogrel and prasugrel) act as irreversible P2Y12 receptor inhibitors. They are used with aspirin to prevent thrombotic complications after an acute coronary syndrome or percutaneous coronary intervention. A large interindividual variability in response to clopidogrel and to a lesser extent to prasugrel is observed and may be related to their metabolism. Clopidogrel and prasugr Read More

The attrition rate in drug development is being reduced by continuous advances in science and technology introduced by various academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies. This has been certainly noticeable in reducing the frequency with which unfavorable absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (ADME) characteristics of any candidate drug causes failure in clinical development. Nonethele Read More

Safety assessment of candidate drugs is a key stage in drug development and one which represents a significant attritional hurdle. There is also a focused effort in drug metabolism studies to assess bioactivation potential based on the notion this could lead to the risk of macromolecule adduct formation and subsequent toxicological consequences. However, characterization of the molecular mechanisms of drug toxicity still rem Read More

Epidemiological studies have shown that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is less common in pre-menopausal women (Pre-MW) compared to men of the same age or post-menopausal women (Post-MW), suggesting cardiovascular benefits of estrogen. Estrogen receptors (ERs) have been identified in the vasculature, and experimental studies have demonstrated vasodilator effects of estrogen/ER on the endothelium, vascul Read More