Current Drug Metabolism - Volume 3, Issue 4, 2002

Low molecular weight organic chemicals can be transformed by normal drug-metabolising systems into shortlived metabolites that are inherently reactive towards cellular macromolecules. There is direct evidence that the formation of such chemically reactive metabolites may lead to mutagenesis, carcinogenicity, apoptosis and necrosis in both cell and animal models. A number of drugs associated with non-pharmacol Read More

Drug-induced adverse reactions, especially type B reactions, represent a major clinical problem. They also impart a significant degree of uncertainty into drug development because they are often not detected until the drug has been released onto the market. Type B reactions are also termed idiosyncratic drug reactions by many investigators due to their unpredictable nature and our lack of understanding of the m Read More

The unexpected occurrence of idiosyncratic drug reactions during late clinical trials or after a drug has been released can lead to a severe restriction in its use or failure to release / withdrawal. This leads to considerable uncertainty in drug development and has led to attempts to try to predict a drug's potential to cause such reactions. The biotransformation of relatively inert drugs to highly reactive metabolites, commo Read More

Quinones are ubiquitous in nature and constitute an important class of naturally occurring compounds found in plants, fungi and bacteria. Human exposure to quinones therefore occurs via the diet, but also clinically or via airborne pollutants. For example, the quinones of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are prevalent as environmental contaminants and provide a major source of current human exposure to quinones. The in Read More

Some carboxylic acid-containing drugs have been implicated in rare but serious adverse reactions. These compounds can be bioactivated via two distinct pathways: by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase-catalyzed conjugation with glucuronic acid, resulting in the formation of acyl glucuronides, or by acyl-CoA synthetase-catalyzed formation of acyl- CoA thioesters. This review compares the two types of potentially reactive metabolites Read More