Stable heavy isotopes of hydrogen, carbon, and other elements have been incorporated into drug molecules, largely as tracers for quantitation during the drug development process. Deuteration has gained attention because of its potential to affect the pharmacokinetic and metabolic profiles of drugs[1].
References:
[1]. Russak EM, et al. Impact of Deuterium Substitution on the Pharmacokinetics of Pharmaceuticals. Ann Pharmacother. 2019 Feb;53(2):211-246.
[2]. Yang F, et al. Melatonin alleviates β-zearalenol and HT-2 toxin-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in bovine ovarian granulosa cells. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2019 May;68:52-60.
[3]. Marin DE, et al. Cytotoxic and inflammatory effects of individual and combined exposure of HepG2 cells to zearalenone and its metabolites. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2019 Aug;392(8):937-947.