Question

Trilene (trichloroethylene) is degraded by:

• A. Enzymatic degradation
• B. Non-enzymatic degradation
• C. Chemical degradation
• D. None

Hint:

Trichloroethylene metabolism starts with a dioxygenase enzyme.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Profile the drug. Trilene is the trade name for trichloroethylene, a non-flammable inhalational analgesic that can provoke dysrhythmias and rapid breathing, and that yields toxic phosgene if exposed to soda-lime in a closed circuit.

Step 2: Ask how it is metabolised. The question targets the route of its breakdown in biological systems.

Step 3: Trace the pathway. Trichloroethylene undergoes enzyme-driven metabolism; the enzyme toluene 1,2-dioxygenase opens one arm of this pathway, and onward conversion produces several small products. This establishes that the degradation is enzymatic in nature.

Step 4: Select the option. Since living systems use enzymes to dismantle the molecule, the answer is enzymatic degradation, not a purely chemical or non-enzymatic route.

\[\boxed{\text{Enzymatic degradation}}\]