Ann. occup. Hyg., Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 85, 2004
© 2004 British Occupational Hygiene Society
Published by Oxford University Press
Book Review |
Guide to Cytochrome P450 Structure and Function, David F. V. Lewis. ISBN 0748408975. Price £34.99. 215 pp.
Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Epidemiology and Health, Sciences, The University of Manchester, Humanities Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
The cytochromes P450 are an important family of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, as they are believed to metabolize most foreign compounds including carcinogens and drugs. Indeed, over 200 000 chemicals are metabolized by these cytochromes and it is widely believed that differing susceptibility to chemically induced ill-health may be associated with the large inter-individual variability in P450 levels. However, despite the immense research effort into examining the role of P450s in susceptibility, the overriding impression is one of confusion, with conflicting results from different human studies. While such conflict may reflect in part epidemiological design and practice, it is also possible that such differences may arise due to an incomplete knowledge and understanding of P450 expression and function. A basic primer to P450 research could then be of interest not only to the target audience (described as postgraduate and advanced graduate students as well as professionals throughout the pharmaceutical industry) but also to a wider group including those working in occupational health/hygiene.
This book is intended to provide a guide to the extensive research literature on cytochromes P450. It is based upon a book written by the same author several years previously and the author uses that book as a template for the current book. It includes chapters on different topics including the evolution of the P450 superfamily, the P450 catalytic cycle, substrate selectivity and metabolism, regulation of P450 enzymes and the structures of P450s. Chapters cover a large amount of material in a very condensed manner given that they are relatively short (typically 20–30 pages). Clearly, some aspects will be treated briefly but it is disappointing that there is little material on toxicity mediated by P450 enzymes (
2 pages) and little or no discussion on, for example, associations between CYP genotype and phenotype and disease risk or the use of transgenic animal models to study P450 function.
This range of topics means that the reader is likely to find some material of interest but also that some of the chapters may be of lesser interest. For example, given my own background, the chapters on substrate selectivity and regulation of P450 enzymes were relatively easy to read and provided useful information of direct relevance to my own interests. Other chapters were, however, more difficult to read and understand and required a degree of specialized knowledge that I unfortunately lacked. Many terms were also used, without definition, which is probably fine for the target audience, but which certainly caused me some difficulty and confusion. I was never entirely convinced that certain abbreviations used in one chapter were used in the same way in a different chapter.
Although the book is no doubt suitable for its target audience, does it offer something which a wider readership might find useful? If you already have some knowledge of P450 research and want to refresh your memory, then the answer is probably yes. If, however, you have little knowledge, then a more basic guide is probably necessary.
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