The enzymes of detoxication

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 265; no. 34; pp. 20715 - 20718
• Main Authors: Jakoby, W B, Ziegler, D M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 05-12-1990; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; detoxication; Enzymes and enzyme inhibitors; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects, investigation methods; Glutathione Transferase - metabolism; Humans; Inactivation, Metabolic; Methyltransferases - metabolism; Microsomes, Liver - enzymology; Mixed Function Oxygenases - metabolism; reviews; Sulfotransferases - metabolism; Reaction mechanism; Detoxication; Review; Enzyme; Xenobiotic
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9258(17)45272-0

The problem of dealing with the nutritionally useless compounds that inevitably find their way into tissues is entirely different for higher forms of life. Instead of the vast array of highly specific enzymes that are distributed among large numbers of bacteria, each capable of converting a small group of compounds to potentially useful metabolites, animals have evolved systems adapted for elimination, rather than utilization, of toxic compounds. Each animal comes equipped with its own trash disposal system which includes a finely honed means for transport and excretion as well as the subject of this review: a group of about 30 enzymes that catalyze the conversion of compounds bearing the range of functional groups.