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How Does Theophylline Affect Metabolism?

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Introduction: In this essay, we will be writing about the drug theophylline and its biochemical function at the level of the molecule, how it affects metabolism by inhibiting the functions of enzymes. The essay will similarly look at the uses and adverse effects of the drug in treating specific disease conditions, thereby explaining its effect on metabolism. Finally, we consider why theophylline is classified as an allosteric inhibitor.
Theophylline Drug as Natural and its Chemical Structure
The drug theophylline is used in the treatment of asthma, bronchospasm, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (WebMD, 2017). Theophylline belongs to a group of chemicals called xanthine which functions as central nervous system stimulants; act on the kidneys to produce diuresis, cardiac muscle stimulants and as …show more content…

What allosteric enzyme inhibitors do is that they act as modulators, attaching themselves to a molecule that will alter the binding site for the enzyme and make it unusable and as a result the enzyme becomes inactive. Theophylline inhibits the activity of the enzyme phosphodiesterase, which forms part of a group of enzymes that degrade the phosphodiester bond (DrugBank, n.d.).
Additionally, theophylline relaxes the pulmonary blood vessels and reduces the airway’s responsiveness to the drugs’ histamine, methacholine, adenosine, and allergen. Theophylline inhibits type III and type IV phosphodiesterase (PDE), the enzyme responsible for breaking down cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in smooth muscle cells, resulting in bronchodilation. Theophylline also binds to the adenosine A2B receptor and blocks adenosine mediated bronchoconstriction. According to the DrugBank (n.d.), in inflammatory conditions, theophylline activates histone deacetylase to prevent transcription of inflammatory genes that require the acetylation of histones for transcription to

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