Principles of Drug Metabolism

Abstract

Metabolism is a complex process that involves enzymatic modification of drugs and xenobiotics and is one of the most important determinants of their fate in the body. Although the drug metabolism is considered a process of detoxification, the products of metabolism can play an important role in the pharmacology and toxicology of the parent drug. Studying the metabolism of newly synthesized molecules is a valuable strategy that allows one to identify the underlying problems, such as “soft spots,” or metabolic activation, that affect the systemic exposure of a molecule and safety and efficacy. Early investigative metabolism of new compounds has helped in assessing the bioactivation potential of these candidates and thus, avoid reactive metabolites or put mitigation strategies in place. Metabolism can also lead to pharmacologically active metabolites. These metabolites can have superior pharmacological, pharmacokinetic, and safety profiles compared to their parent drug and can therefore be developed as drugs. This chapter provides an overview of the enzymes involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics and the different metabolic pathways. An attempt has been made to illustrate these principles with pertinent example with a brief review of topics of potential interests to aspiring medicinal chemists namely, the factors that may influence biotransformation or applications to predict the sites of metabolism. While the medicinal chemists are not expected to possess a deep knowledge of the mechanistic aspects, the hope is that the principles outlined in this chapter will assist them in designing a better drug.