Fluorine hydrolytic metabolism

The presence of fluorine strongly destabihzes a carbocation centered on the jS carbon because only the inductive effect takes place. " The effect on solvolysis or protonation reaction of double bonds can be very important. The destabilization of carbenium and alkoxycarbenium ions plays an importantrole in the design of enzyme inhibitors (cf Chapter 7) and in the hydrolytic metabolism of active molecules (cf. Chapter 3). 

The metabolism of fluorobenzoates has been examined over many years. Early studies using Nocardia erythropoUs (Cain et al. 1968) and Pseudomonas fluorescens (Hughes 1965) showed that although the rates of whole-cell oxidation of fluorobenzoates were less than for benzoate, they were comparable to, and greater than for, the chlorinated analogs. As for their chlorinated analogs, both dioxygenation and hydrolytic pathways may be involved, and studies have revealed that the different pathways depended on the positions of the fluorine substituents. 

The metabolism of pentafluoro-, pentachloro-, and pentabromophenol by Mycobacterium fortuitum strain CG-2 is initiated by a monooxygenase that carries out hydroxylation at the para position (Uotila et al. 1992). Cell extracts of Rhodococcus chiorophenoiicus Mycobacterium chlorophenolicunt) strain PCP-1 in the presence of a reductant transformed tetrafluoro-, tetrachloro-, and tetrabromohydroquinone to 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene by reactions that clearly involve both hydrolytic and reductive loss of fluorine (Uotila et al. 1995). 

The introduction of fluorine atoms in a molecule can be used to modify the processes and the rates of metabolism of the drug, in order to extend the plasma half-life or avoid the formation of toxic metabolites. Due to the properties of the fluorine atom, in particular its electronic effects, it may interact differently during the biotransformation steps, according to the type of processes involved (oxidative, reductive, hydrolytic, etc), which allow the clearance of the exogen molecule (i.e., the elimination of the active substance from the organism). 

These effects result from the impact of fluorination on the properties of the peptide at the level of (1) the lipophilicity/hydrophobicity balance and p faJ (2) the conformation, because of the more demanding volume of the fluorinated moiety and (3) the hydrolytic and metabolic stability. 

The effects of the presence of a fluorinated amino acid on the activity of these peptides are changeable the activity can be maintained, enhanced, or lowered the effect can be that of an agonist or antagonist. However, often the biological effect is enhanced, while the affinity is lowered. The loss of affinity is compensated by an increased biodisponibility due to the better hydrolytic and metabolic stability of the polypeptide that contains the fluorinated amino acid. 

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