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Cytochromes P450 Metabolic and Toxicological Aspects

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This book is a comprehensive collection of in-depth reviews on each cytochrome P450 family, with metabolic and toxicologic implications. The book starts with a historical perspective and provides anecdotes describing the identification of this superfamily of enzymes and the elucidation of their functions. This is followed by a didactic, rigorous discussion of the chemistry of P450-mediated reactions that elucidates the complex nature of biotransformations catalyzed by these enzymes -- a must-read chapter for graduate students and researchers with an interest in the mechanistic aspects of oxidative drug metabolism. The book devotes a chapter to each family of P450 enzymes. These chapters are multi-faceted with respect to their scope and intent. There is a good balance of genetics, biochemistry, clinical pharmacology, and toxicology, which makes it useful and interesting for readers with diverse backgrounds. For readers with an interest in the relatively new and fairly intimidating field of computational P450 active site modeling, the chapter on molecular modeling will be a good starting point. This book served as an important source of information for me during my graduate research that was focused on the P450 superfamily. Although the primary focus of my research has been on human P450 enzymes, reading this book has allowed me to appreciate the diversity of this superfamily of enzymes throughout the phylogenetic spectrum and has helped me understand the differences and similarities in xenobiotic metabolism between the various species that are used in drug discovery and development. Research in the field of P450-mediated metabolism is in its exponential growth phase, given the increasing application of molecular genetic methods and computational xenobiotic-protein interaction models. A newer edition of this book will thus be a welcome contribution to the scientific community for the new millennium.