Publication Cover
Xenobiotica
the fate of foreign compounds in biological systems
Volume 33, 2003 - Issue 9
83
Views
8
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Topics in Xenobiochemistry: Do metabolic pathways exist for xenobiotics? The micro-metabolism hypothesis

&
Pages 887-901 | Published online: 22 Sep 2008
 

Abstract

1. The relevance of the concept of 'the metabolic pathwayTXEN101327; for the understanding of xenobiotic metabolism is discussed in the light of advances in modern analytical methods that have enabled the detection and identification of minor metabolites present at ever lower concentrations. 2. A model is suggested where the overall metabolic fate of a xenobiotic is the sum of all the possible metabolic reactions permitted by the solution chemistry of the compound modulated by factors such as the metabolizing enzyme complement of the organism, the affinity of those enzymes for the xenobiotic substrates and the probabilities of all of these processes. 3. In this probabilistic, rather than deterministic, system, the resulting proportions of particular metabolites will, therefore, depend on the sums of the probabilities of particular biotransformation reactions occurring and the stability (chemical or metabolic) of the resulting metabolite. 4. In this model, all the potential metabolic possibilities that could result for any individual xenobiotic will occur to some extent. However, in actuality, many of the resulting metabolites will be produced or excreted in such small quantities as to defy ready detection with current methods.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.