Biochemistry 3386B Study Guide - Glutathione, Paracetamol, Ethylene Glycol

• School: Western University
• Department: Biochemistry
• Course: Biochemistry 3386B
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Toxicology detection, identification and measurement of drugs and poisons in various biological fluids. Patients from emerge, babies and new mothers, psychiatric, pain clinic, sexual assault. Specimen of choice to measure drug levels, level of intoxication. Contain parent drugs and metabolites, but analysis is involved because of lipid and protein present in large conc. Tells us what drugs taken, but not when . can"t measure level of intoxication, mostly metabolites (because live adds polar groups to make drugs more water soluble), analysis is simple because of small amounts of lipid and protein. Infrequently tested, invasive, no advantages over serum or urine. Hair, meconium (first bowel movement after birth, represents all things swallowed in utero) , turnaround time is too long for hair, and its difficult to analyze. Alcohols (ethanol and others) most commonly tested drug. Tested with autmated alcohol dehydrogenase based method, other alcohols can only be positively detected by gc.