Cadmium and Fullerenes in Liver Diseases

Abstract

Liver is the central organ for xenobiotic metabolism. There is a complex network of enzymes that serves to prevent accumulation of foreign substances in the body, facilitating their conversion into hydrosoluble metabolites suitable for elimination. Xenobiotic metabolism occurs in three phases, i.e., phase I, phase II, and phase III. The major enzyme complex that plays a pivotal role in phase I is cytochrome P450s (CYP families). CYP contains heme moieties and helps oxidation of lipophilic drugs for their conversion to the hydrophilic molecule. Phase II of drug metabolism mainly involves glucuronidation catalyzed by UDP glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), while Phase III involves participation of various transporters involved in drug metabolism.