[Pharmacogenetics of oxidation reactions of drugs]

Drug oxidation reactions are performed by different isoenzymes of the cytochrome P450 family. A few enzymes exhibit genetically determined polymorphisms. The two main and independent polymorphisms are related to the 4 hydroxylation of debrisoquine and mephenytoin. Poor metabolizers of one of those test drugs are at high risk of developing adverse responses to conventional doses of drugs. Furthermore it is possible that oxidative polymorphisms may be important in the development of cancer of birth defects. The relations between genetic factors, xenobiotics and cancerogenesis/teratogenesis are now widely investigated. The advances in molecular biology will provide, in the near future, new ways of investigations in pharmacogenetics.