Microbial systems for study of the biotransformations of drugs

The metabolic fate of drugs and other xenobiotics in mammalian organisms represents an area of intense contemporary interest. Traditionally, it is a difficult area of research becausethe biological systems which are used to study biotransformations are capable of yielding only minute quantities of metabolites. Recent developments in comparative biochemistry have made itpossible to link diverse metabolic systems through similarities in the pathways by which they alter foreign organic compounds. The potential thus exists for utilizing microbial metabolic systems to study and possibly predict the metabolic fate of a drug or other foreign compound in mammals. The ease with which microbial systems may be used to obtain large amounts of metabolites is an obvious Advantage. We havhe attemped to review the ways in which mammalian and microbialorganisms metabolize a variety of organic compounds. Attention has been focused on the similarities and differences in the mechanisms by which these living systems metabolize xenobiotics. Particular emphasis has been given to four types of reactions which are important in drug biotransformations: aromatic hydroxylationl; N‐ and O‐dealkylations; and sulfur oxygenations.