Reactive Intermediates and Their Interactions

Metabolism of foreign compounds aims to produce aqueous soluble metabolites so as to facilitate their excretion from the body. However, in many cases, metabolic conversion produces highly reactive metabolites. Such reactive intermediate formation during metabolic activation is an important mechanism attributing to foreign compound–mediated toxicity. Many toxic effects of foreign compounds do not result from the parent compounds, instead from reactive intermediates or metabolites that are formed during metabolism.