J. Med. Chem. 2009, 52, 5269–5269 5269
The Biochemistry of Drug Metabolism: Principles, Redox Reactions, Hydrolyses. By Bernard Testa and Stephanie D. Kramer. Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta, Zurich, Switzerland, and Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany. 2008. xii þ 319 pp. 17 24 cm. ISBN 3906390535. $75.00. This is an excellent book with a unique approach. It consists of a series of 254 excellently designed color figures laid out as presentation formatted slides. Each figure is accompanied by text elaborating on the concept and providing links to the original literature. It is extraordinarily detailed, yet presented in a clear and attractive manner. The citation list is extensive (665 individual citations, with many listing multiple sources) so that the advanced user can easily find the original research supporting each concept described. This text covers Parts 1-3 of a seven-part series: (1) Principles and Overview, (2) Redox Reactions and Their Enzymes, and (3) Reactions of Hydrolysis and Their Enzymes. I look forward to publication, in Volume 2, of the remaining parts to complete the set: (4) Reactions of Conjugation and Their Enzymes, (5) Metabolism and Bioactivity, (6) Inter-Individual Factors Affecting Drug Metabolism, and (7) Intra-Individual Factors Affecting Drug Metabolism. The authors are expert teachers and researchers in the field. This work represents a refinement of their extensive teaching materials into a single up-to-date package. As an instructor of introductory and advanced drug metabolism to pharmacy students and to biomedical sciences graduate students, I appreciate the expert combination of clarity and detail. Students will find the slides and notes an ideal accompaniment for independent study. Veteran instructors will find that individual slides provide excellent additions to their own existing material. For example, I immediately incorporated four figures concisely showing the “privileged positions of hydroxylation” as catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzymes into my graduate and professional student courses. Instructors
without existing content could easily tailor any or all of the content for their own use. The Principles and Overview section consists of 42 figures that define and introduce the topic of metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics. The Redox Reactions and Their Enzymes are covered next with 133 figures. This section is unique in that it emphasizes not only the cytochrome P450 enzymes but also flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMO), amine oxidases, aldehyde oxidase, peroxidases, and dehydrogenases. The reactions are presented from a biotransformation (chemical structure) point of view with additional summary information on the enzyme families. Last, for this volume, the Reactions of Hydrolysis and Their Enzymes is presented with 79 figures, organized into eight chapters. Multiple types of hydrolyses are presented with detailed mechanism and examples for each type, such as hydrolysis of carboxylic esters, amines, and peptides, lactone ring-opening, inorganic acids, and epoxides. Summary information is provided on the many enzymes catalyzing these hydrolyses. The material has also been published as individual articles available in electronic format (pdf) from the journal Chemistry and Biodiversity. However, I encourage all to purchase the twovolume set to have the complete package easily accessible in full color and high resolution. I recommend it for faculty and graduate student audiences and to advanced industry scientists. Roberta S. King Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences College of Pharmacy University of Rhode Island 41 Lower College Road Kingston, Rhode Island 02881
DOI: 10.1021/jm900900z Published on Web 07/07/2009
