Cytochrome P450 Overview

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are a family of enzymes that play a key role in the metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics in the human body. The CYP enzymes are a subfamily of the heme-containing monooxygenases, and are named after their characteristic absorption of light in the 450 nm region of the spectrum.

There are many different CYP enzymes in the human body, and they are categorized into families (CYP1-CYP3) and subfamilies (CYP1A, CYP2C, etc.) based on their amino acid sequence homology and functional similarities.