Abstract
When drugs enter the body, the majority of them are metabolized and transformed partly or wholly into other substances. These transformations are catalysed by enzymes which are found mainly in the liver, although they are also found in lesser amounts in other tissues such as intestine, kidney and lung. Although the majority of drugs are metabolized in the body there are some which are not metabolized at all and are excreted unchanged, whereas there are others which change spontaneously into other substances without the participation of enzymes. From the point of view of their fate in the body drugs can therefore be divided broadly into three types as follows:
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a)
drugs which undergo enzyme catalysed transformations
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b)
drugs which are not metabolized and are excreted unchanged
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c)
drugs which undergo spontaneous reactions when given the appropriate physical conditions such as pH or when they contact a suitable physiological compound with which they can react.
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References
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Williams, R.T. (1971). Introduction: Pathways of Drug Metabolism. In: Brodie, B.B., Gillette, J.R., Ackerman, H.S. (eds) Concepts in Biochemical Pharmacology. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology / Handbuch der experimentellen Pharmakologie, vol 28 / 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-65177-9_14
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