THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF STRUCTURE AND REACTIVITY RELATED TO METABOLISM AND TOXICITY OF PARACETAMOL

An experimental and theoretical approach on oxidative metabolism of paracetamol was applied for the pharmaceutical chemistry learning. Classical reactions, functional group identification, structural parameter, and chemical reactivity using frontier orbitals and Fukui index were used explaining the main products between N-acetyl-p-benzosemiquinone (NAPQI) and thiolic compounds. The chemoprotection mechanisms by N-acetyl-cysteine on high dosage of paracetamol are consistent with theoretical and experimental results. The methods also described the relationship between the chemical reactivity of quinone-imine system and the induced-toxicity of paracetamol by Michael reaction. These results can be applied in experimental pharmaceutical chemistry teaching.