by Bernard Testa
and Joachim M. Mayer

Many drugs and other xenobiotics (e.g., preservatives, insecticides, and plastifiers) contain hydrolyzable moieties such as ester or amide groups. In biological media, such foreign compounds are, therefore, important substrates for hydrolytic reactions catalyzed by hydrolases or proceeding non-enzymatically.

Despite their significance, until now, no book has been dedicated to hydrolysis and hydrolases in the metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics.

Hydrolysis in Drug and Prodrug Metabolism fills a gap in the literature and reviews metabolic reactions of hydrolysis and hydarion from the point of views of enzymes, substrates, and reactions. It is a comprehensive review of all metabolic reactions and enzymes involved in the hydrolysis of drugs and prodrugs.

Contents

1. Introduction: Metabolic Hydrolysis and Prodrug Design
2. Classification, Localization and Physiological Roles of Hydrolytic Enzymes
3. Catalytic Mechanisms of Hydrolytic Enzymes
4. The Hydrolysis of Amides
5. The Hydrolysis of Lactams
6. The Hydrolysis of Peptides
7. The Hydrolysis of Carboxylic Acid Esters
8. The Hydrolysis of Carboxylic Acid Ester Prodrugs
9. The Cleavage of Esters of Inorganic Acids
10. The Hydration of Epoxides
11. Miscellaneous reactions of Hydration and Dehydration
12. Conclusion: The Biochemistry of Water

Index

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