Biotransformation in review: applications in ocular disease and drug design.

The purpose of this paper is to review the biochemical processes of systemic biotransformation and describe their relevance to ocular disease and drug metabolism. The diverse nature of the biochemical pathways, commonly found in enzyme metabolism, is discussed. The occurrence of these processes in the eye has significance in that the products of metabolism may accumulate locally and exert deterimental effects, presumably by altering the cellular structure and/or function of crucial visual elements. The manipulation of these metabolic pathways within the eye has ramifications in the development of novel drug design for both ocular disease treatment and, perhaps more importantly, disease prevention.