Practical Aspects of Flavin-Containing Monooxygenase-Mediated Metabolism

Hepatic flavin-containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) is arguably the most important FMO in humans from the standpoint of drug metabolism. Recently, adult hepatic FMO3 has been linked to several conditions including cardiometabolic diseases, aging, obesity, and atherosclerosis in small animals. Despite the importance of FMO3 in drug and chemical metabolism, relative to cytochrome P-450 (CYP), fewer studies have been published describing drug and chemical metabolism. This may be due to the properties of human hepatic FMO3. For example, FMO3 is thermally labile, and often methods reported in the study of human hepatic FMO3 are not optimal. Herein, I describe some practical aspects for studying human hepatic FMO3 and other FMOs.