ABSTRACT
Metabolic processes in the lung are often studied using whole-lung homogenates. These studies are plentiful in the scientific literature and have been reasonably helpful to evaluate the overall metabolic capacity of the lung. Xenobiotic metabolism in respiratory tissues can be examined by comparing the chemical classes that are metabolized or by focusing on the enzymes responsible for the biotransformations. Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthases or cyclooxygenases prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthases 1/Prostaglandin H synthase and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthases 2/Prostaglandin H synthase are another important group of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes present in the lung. The flavin-containing monooxygenases are another class of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes. The chapter provides an overview of the metabolic enzymes that exist in respiratory tissues and to distinguish metabolism of drugs in this organ system from other anatomical regions that also participate to a greater or lesser extent in the metabolism of xenobiotics.
