Detoxification processes

Detoxification processes comprise a series of highly conserved biochemical pathways that convert lipophilic (fat-soluble) toxins into more hydrophilic (water-soluble) forms, facilitating their excretion via urine, bile, or sweat. The liver is the central organ involved, utilizing sequential "phase I" and "phase II" reactions. Phase I (primarily mediated by cytochrome P450 enzymes) modifies toxins to generate more reactive intermediates, while phase II (conjugation enzymes such as glutathione-S-transferases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, and others) neutralizes these intermediates by attaching polar groups, facilitating their elimination. Phase III involves transport proteins moving conjugated toxins out of cells for excretion. Genetic variability, diet, and disease states can substantially impact the efficacy and balance of these processes. Defects or imbalances in detoxification pathways are implicated in diverse diseases, but "detoxification processes" as a whole is not an actionable molecular target[1][2][3][4][5][6][7].

Other names

Metabolic detoxificationbiotransformation pathwaysdetox pathways