Liver detoxification

• Hepatic metabolism is the process by which the body facilitatesremoval of substancessuch as drugs or other xenobiotics. In general terms, the process consists in making the molecules more soluble in water to improve their elimination in the urine. There is a small collection of enzymes responsible for the metabolism of these substances, since they are very unspecific of substrate. There are two phases of liver detoxification:
• Phase I:in this phase the molecules are oxidized by the members of the cytochrome P-450 families. In this process, polar groups which make the molecule more soluble are added.
• Phase II: conjugation enzymes are involved in phase II, which combine the molecule with other polar molecules such as, for example, glutathione or glucuronic acid, greatly increasing the solubility of the substance.Although often inactivates oxidative metabolism of drugs and other biologically active substances, not in all cases the metabolite is inactive. Sometimes oxidative metabolism can even generate an active metabolite from an inactive substrate, as in the case ofprodrugs.

Dr. Juan Sabater-Tobella

European Specialist in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EC4)Member of the Pharmacogenomics Research NetworkMember of the International Society of Pharmacogenomics and Outcomes ResearchPresidente de EUGENOMIC®

Last modified: Nov 20, 2018 @ 5:26 pm