Organic Compounds with Pharmaceutical Importance - Essay Example

Organic Compounds with Pharmaceutical Importance Organic compounds are a large of chemicals consisting of gaseous, liquid, or solid matter andwhich are characterized by the existence of a carbon atom. These compounds are found in abundance almost everywhere on earth including in living and non-living things. One of the simplest organic compounds is methane, which contains one carbon atom surrounded by four Hydrogen atoms. In animals, organic compounds are associated with various life processes. Among the chemicals found in animals, there are four major classes of organic compounds found in all living things: carbohydrates, lipids, protein, and nucleic acids. Each of these classes can further be broken down into smaller sub-classes. This paper will focus on two types of organic substances found in animals and which have pharmaceutical importance. The two compounds are lipase and lactulose. Lipase Lipase is an enzyme found in animals and is used as a catalyst in the breakdown of fats to smaller forms that can be utilized by the body essentially in the production of energy. The main functions of this compound are digestion (hydrolysis), transport and breakdown of lipids found in various foods. Lipids include fats and oils and are found in a variety of natural and artificial food materials. Other functions of lipase in the body include cell signaling and inflammation, and general body metabolism. Hence, some lipase activities are limited to particular compartments of the cell. The main source of animal lipase is the pancreas. The pancreas produces the pancreatic lipase and another type of lipase known as protein 2 (Crenon et al, 138). Apart from the pancreatic lipase, the human body contains other types of lipase such as the hepatic lipase, endothelial lipase and lipoprotein lipase. Breast milk also contains lipase. Lipase extracted from animal tissues is used for various industrial and pharmaceutical purposes. Industrially, lipase is used in cheese and yoghurt manufacture. Additionally, lipases are used as alternative additives or catalysts in the breakdown of lipids. For instance, lipase has been used to break down vegetable oil into fuel in a bid to explore alternative energy sources. Most lipase used for industrial and pharmaceutical processes are sources from animals, although they can also produced microbially (Gupta et al, 770). Lipase is widely used in the pharmaceutical field. One common use is in the manufacture of medication that helps in the digestion of fats. Persons with certain medical conditions such as cystic fibriosis or pancreatitis do not produce adequate lipase and thus their bodies cannot completely digest lipids leading to improper digestion. Other conditions that may make the body unable to release lipase include cancer of the pancreas and post-gastrointestinal bypass surgery. As a solution to this problem, lipase is combined with other enzymes to produce a drug commercially known as Lipase-Protease-Amylase Oral. The medication contains digestive enzymes that aid in the breakdown and digestion of fats, starch, and proteins obtained from food materials. The medication is available both in capsule and syrup forms and is recommended for use while eating. Lipase-Protease-Amylase Oral is only recommended for use in acute situations where the body cannot produce adequate enzymes, otherwise the body may become ‘lazy’ to produce its own lipase once it gets used to the artificial sources of the enzymes. Lactulose Lactulose (C12H22O11) is an organic compound that has been used since 1960s in the treatment of chronic constipation among persons of all ages. It is a dissacharide whose structure is made up of other simple sugars (fructose and galactose) as shown below: Lactulose is obtained by heating milk to higher temperatures. Industrially, it is obtained through isomerization of lactose. To demonstrate the importance of this medication, the WHO has listed it among the Most Essential Medicines. Lactulose is not only used in constipated patients, but it is also used when a softer stool is needed for medical reasons. Constipation is regarded as a symptom and not a disease and is often a temporary condition. It is caused by a myriad of factors, including incorrect eating patterns, damaged colon, pelvic floor disorder or a side effect of drug use (Elkington et al, 410). Risk groups for constipation include elder persons and women in late stages of pregnancy. Limited or lack of mobility predisposes one to constipation. Lactulose is used to counter the effects of constipation as it aids in bowel movement. The medication can also be used when there is high amount of ammonia in blood. Lactulose helps in regulating blood ammonia by trapping the ammonia (NH3) in the blood and converting it to ammonium (NH4+) which cannot be absorbed by blood and is subsequently removed from the body through urine and stool. Mechanism Regulation of blood ammonia In the regulation of blood ammonia, it has been shown that lactulose acts by trapping ammonia in the acidified contents of the blood. It is known that blood ammonia exists in the form of ammonium ion (NH4+) while a small proportion exists as non-ionized ammonia (NH3). The proportion of these two substances in blood at any given time is controlled by the blood pH. Studies have revealed a drop in stool pH from 7.0 to 5.0 during lactulose administration. The pH difference propels ammonia from blood into the colon where it is oxidized ammonia to form the ammonium ion which cannot be reabsorbed by blood and hence it is retained in the bowel (Als-Nielsen and Gluud, 237). An alternative mechanism has been offered as follows: Lactulose is broken down in the colon by bacteria to short chain compounds including lactic and acetic acids. The compounds increase the acidity of the contents of the colon resulting in high hydrogen ions (H+) in the colon. The acidic environment favors the conversion of ammonia to the non-absorbable ammonium ions thereby reducing blood ammonia levels (Sharma et al, 889; Sandborn,32). Constipation Lactulose is a disaccharide hence cannot be absorbed in the digestive system nor broken down by digestive enzymes. Hence it stays in the digestive bolus once it is administered into the body. This results into the retention of water through osmosis resulting into softer stool. Additionally, it has a laxative effect in the colon as it is broken down to produce metabolites that have osmotic powers that not only help to retain water in the colon, but also have peristaltic effects that aid in easier passing of bowel. Works Cited Als-Nielsen, Bryan, and Gluud, Liebeman. Nonabsorbable disaccharides for hepatic encephalopathy. Medi Eth Res. 45(2), 233-241. 1998. Print. Crenon Ian, et al. Pancreatic lipase-related protein type I: a specialized lipase or an inactive enzyme. Protein Eng, 11 (2): 135–42. 1998. Print. Elkington, Sam, Greg, Floch, Mark, H., and Conn, Harry 0. Lactulose in the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy: a double-blind clinical trial. New Engl. J. Med., 281, 408-412. 1969. Print. Gupta, Ron and Rathi, Patti. Bacterial lipases: an overview of production, purification and biochemical properties. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol, 64 (6): 763–81. 2004. Print. Sharma, Bart, Agrawal, Amin, and Sarin Sk. Secondary prophylaxis of hepatic encephalopathy: an open-label randomized controlled trial of lactulose versus placebo. Gastroenterology, 137 (3): 885–91, 2009. Print. Sandborn, W.J. (2006). New Advances in 5-ASA Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis. Medscape Gastroenterology, 25(4) 29-41. 2011. Print. Read More