Study summary
Molecular basis for deficient acetaminophen glucuronidation in cats: an interspecies comparison of enzyme kinetics in liver microsomes
- Study type
- Lab
- Year
- 1997
- Published in
- Biochemical Pharmacology
Summary
A biochemical study showing that cats have a defective form of the UGT1A6 enzyme used to glucuronidate phenolic compounds. This deficiency is the mechanistic reason cats clear phenol-rich essential oils (such as the eugenol in clove and cinnamon) far more slowly than dogs or people, and why those oils are disproportionately toxic to them.
Key findings
Feline liver microsomes glucuronidate acetaminophen far less efficiently than other species, tracing to an altered UGT1A6 gene.
Limitations
In-vitro enzyme-kinetics study using acetaminophen as the probe substrate, not the essential-oil constituents themselves.