Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. [1] Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a substructure of the organism, such as a cell (cytotoxicity) or an organ such as the liver (hepatotoxicity).
On-target toxicity is also referred to as mechanism-based toxicity. This type of adverse effect that results from pharmaceutical drug exposure is commonly due to interactions of the drug with its intended target. In this case, both the therapeutic and toxic targets are the same.
A toxicologist working in a lab (United States, 2008)Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms [1] and the practice of diagnosing and treating exposures to toxins and toxicants.
Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, [1] including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function. [ 2 ]
Acute toxicity describes the adverse effects of a substance that result either from a single exposure [1] or from multiple exposures in a short period of time (usually less than 24 hours). [ 2 ] To be described as acute toxicity, the adverse effects should occur within 14 days of the administration of the substance.
It is a comparison of the amount of a therapeutic agent that causes toxicity to the amount that causes the therapeutic effect. [1] The related terms therapeutic window or safety window refer to a range of doses optimized between efficacy and toxicity, achieving the greatest therapeutic benefit without resulting in unacceptable side-effects or ...
The median toxic dose encompasses the category of toxicity that is greater than half maximum effective concentration (ED 50) but less than the median lethal dose (LD 50). However, for some highly potent toxins (ex. lofentanil , botulinum toxin ) the difference between the ED 50 and TD 50 is so minute that the values assigned to them may be ...
The threshold dose is only a measure of acute toxicity since the drug or toxic substance investigated is administered at once. The consequence of long-term administration remains unknown. [ 27 ] As the threshold dose is the measured minimal response, its accuracy heavily depends on the machinery used.