Glucuronidation (Homo sapiens)

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Metabolism of xenobiotic compounds consists of phase I and a phase II biotransformation reactions, being compound modification and conjugation reactions respectively. In phase I biotransformation, the compound is modificated via oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis, or other minor reactions, to reveal a reactive group to which a conjugation molecule can react to. In phase II, a small conjugation molecule reacts with the phase I modified molecule, producing a much more water-soluble molecule that can be excreted more easily.

Glucuronidation is a phase II biotransformation reaction in which glucuronide acts as a conjugation molecule and binds to a substrate via the catalysis of glucuronosyltransferases. First, in a series of reactions the cosubstrate uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid (UDPGA) is formed. The glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) then catalyze the transfer of glucuronic acid from UDPGA to a substrate resulting in a glucuronidated substrate and leaving uridine 5'-diphosphate. UGTs are a very broad and divers group of enzymes and count as the most significant group of conjugation enzymes in xenobiotic metabolism, qualitatively because glucuronic acid can be coupled to a large diversity of functional groups and quantitatively because of the large and divers number of substrates that are formed.

Proteins on this pathway have targeted assays available via the CPTAC Assay Portal