The use of stable isotopes in drug metabolism studies

Although there is a long history of stable isotopes use in drug metabolism research, it is appropriate to evaluate them in pregnancy drug studies in which safety takes highest priority. It is well established through a number of human and animal experiments that stable isotopes themselves rarely generate additional toxicities beyond the molecules to which they are attached. For the analysis of stable isotopes involved in metabolism studies, mass spectrometry plays the predominant role. Several mass spectrometry-based techniques now exist that enable the selective quantitative detection of stable isotopes with better sensitivity and better retention of chromatographic resolution than do in-line radioactivity monitors for 14C. Even mass balance studies can be performed by using stable isotopes, a type of experiment that still predominantly uses radioisotopes. Some of the newest developments in the use of stable isotopes involve biopolymers, in which fully isotope-labeled species can be generated from cells grown in isotopically labeled growth media. Having shown safety, sensitivity, specificity, and versatility, stable isotopes should play an important role in drug metabolism studies in pregnancy.