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Speciality Spotlight
Liver
Microsomes
- Mei Zhang, J. Paul Fawcett et al (School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, Dunedine, New Zealand)
Stereoselective glucuronidation of formoterol by human liver microsomes.
Br.J.Clin.Pharmacol, 49, 152-157.
Summary : Formoterol is a beta-adrenoceptor agonist marketed as a racemic mixture of the active and inactive enantiomers. It produces bronchodilatation but there is market interpatient variability in duration of effect. It is metabolised by conjugation with glucuronic acid. In this study, human liver microsomes have been used to investigate glucuronidation of formoterol enantiomers.
This study shows that glucuronidation of formoterol by liver microsomes is stereoselective and subject to high interindividual variability. This may explain the variation in duration of bronchodilation produced by Formoterol in patients of asthma.
