Ondansetron and tropisetron are 5-HT3 receptor
antagonists used to treat nausea and vomiting and are commonly prescribed to
patients who have undergone surgery or who are receiving chemotherapy. They are
both covered by a CPIC guideline which can be accessed on the CPIC website.
PharmGKB has released two new pathways for these drugs;
Ondansetron Pathway, Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics and Tropisetron Pathway,
Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics. These pathways show the metabolism of both
drugs as well as their action at 5-HT3 receptors on vagal afferent
neurons. Key genes involved in the metabolism process are highlighted in the
clickable images and described in the accompanying descriptions. Note that although
ondansetron and tropisetron have very similar pharmacokinetic pathways, there
are important differences between the two. This is why separate pathways have
been produced for each drug.
You can view the Ondansetron Pathway,Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics and the Tropisetron Pathway,Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics on the PharmGKB website. Annotated versions of the CPIC guideline for ondansetron and tropisetron are also available at the
PharmGKB website.
