Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2004 May;57(5):540-4.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2004.02096.x.

Drug metabolism and ageing

M T Kinirons  1 , M S O'Mahony
Affiliations
Review

Drug metabolism and ageing

M T Kinirons et al. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2004 May.

Abstract

Important changes in drug metabolism occur with ageing. Age-associated reductions in function of some but not all cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) have been described. Induction and inhibition of CYPs needs to be revisited in light of recent advances. The function and pharmacology of transporters have not yet been examined for an age-related effect. Finally, the concept of frailty is being underpinned by studies documenting a decline in drug metabolism and changes in disposition in frail older people compared with either healthy elderly or the young.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Wrighton SA, Stevens JC. The human hepatic cytochromes P450 involved in drug metabolism. Crit Rev Toxicol. 1992;22:1–21. - PubMed
    1. Schmucker DL, Woodhouse K, Wang R, et al. Effects of age and gender on in vitro properties of human liver microsomal monooxygenases. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1990;48:365–74. - PubMed
    1. George J, Byth K, Farrell GC. Age but not gender selectively affects expression of individual cytochrome P450 proteins in human liver. Biochem Pharmacol. 1995;50:727–30. - PubMed
    1. Hunt CM, Westerkam SR, Stave M, Wilson J. Human hepatic cytochrome P4503A activity in the elderly. Mech Ageing Dev. 1992;64:189–99. - PubMed
    1. Wynne HA, Cope E, Mutch E, Rawlins MD, Woodhouse KW, James OFW. The effect of age upon liver volume and apparent liver blood flow in healthy man. Hepatology. 1989;9:297–301. - PubMed

Substances