4-Methylumbelliferyl butyrate

4-Methylumbelliferyl butyrate is a substrate for detoxification enzymes in vitro. It has been used as a probe to study the catalytic activity of cytochrome P450 and glutathione reductase. 4-Methylumbelliferyl butyrate has also been used to study the effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the membrane system by hydrogen bonding interactions, protease activity, and phosphatase enzyme activities. This compound has been shown to be toxic at sublethal doses in model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster and human erythrocytes. This toxicity may be due to its ability to inhibit fatty acid synthesis.