Current Drug Metabolism - Volume 19, Issue 13, 2018

Background: Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB or sodium oxybate) is both an exogenous and endogenous molecule with neuromodulator properties. In the United States, GHB is an approved drug for the treatment of narcolepsy and narcolepsy with cataplexy in adults. In some European Union countries, sodium oxybate is applied for the treatment of opioid and alcohol withdrawal. Objective: The aim of the present review was to Read More

Background: Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (γ-hydroxybutyrate or GHB) is a physiological compound of mammalians with specific receptors in central nervous system (CNS). Apart from an endogenous production, GHB is also an exogenous molecule found in pharmaceutical as well as in illicit formulations. Products manufactured and spread in these two fields, whose borders are all but strictly defined and traced, differ for the i Read More

Background: Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is a chronic neurologic disorder defined by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hallucinations and disrupted nocturnal sleep, typically with onset during childhood/ adolescence. Pediatric NT1 is associated with limitations on children's activities and achievements, especially poor performance at school, difficulty with peers due to disease symptoms and comor Read More

Background: Recently, Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) consumption in the recreational setting has been replaced by that of its prodrug Gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), cheaper and easier to obtain due to several legal industrial applications. Objective: The aim of the present paper was to report the most authoritative literature on the pharmacology and toxicology of GBL, dependence and abuse potential and the related public he Read More

Background: Misuse of gammahydroxybutrate (GHB) and its prodrugs gammabutyrolactone (GBL) and 1,4 butanediol (1,4-BD) has increased greatly since the early 1990s, particularly amongst lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in recreational and sexual settings, e.g. ‘chemsex’. Objective and Method: This paper presents an overview of GHB pharmacotoxicology and provides analyses of cases in t Read More

Background: Essential oils are liquid extracts from aromatic plants, which have numerous applications in multiple industries. There are a variety of methods used for the extraction of essential oils, with each method exhibiting certain advantages and determining the biological and physicochemical properties of the extracted oils. Essential oils from different plant species contain more than 200 constituents which ar Read More

Background: Ternary solid dispersions have been demonstrated to be an effective strategy in the improvement of drug absorption and bioavailability. Method: The applications of the combination of hydrophilic polymers with the potential of hydrophobic polymer incorporation at moderate concentrations have been discussed in recent publications. Results: In this paper, the general review of this specific type of sol Read More

Background: Patients with hypertension usually have to be treated with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and are therefore more exposed to drug-drug Interactions (DDIs) by various mechanisms, especially the mechanisms based on drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters. Objective: This review article focuses on the pharmacokinetic interaction mechanisms with ACE inhibitors based on drug m Read More

Background: Although it is believed widely that the various routes of xenobiotic metabolism are now all known and effectively understood, occasionally there emerges a metabolite that signals a novel biotransformation pathway, especially where the xenobiotic may in some way interact with the myriad processes of intermediary metabolism. There are a few reports in the literature where saturated short-chain dicarboxyli Read More