Descriptive Toxicology
From DrugPedia: A Wikipedia for Drug discovery
Contents |
Defintion
A branch of Toxicology, typically involves toxicity testing.
Broad spectrum of responses reflects toxicity
- Functional effects, such as immunological responses
- Growth inhibition
- Reproductive impairment
- Increase in cancer incidence
- Mortality
Toxicity Testing
Assesses the concentration-dependent hazard a chemical may present
- Human health
- Natural populations
Results typically applied to
- Approval of product use
- Regulating allowable concentrations
Types of toxicity testing
In vitro (test tube)
- useful in detecting potential biochemical and genetic effects
- Use model systems (bacteria, cultured animal cells, DNA interactions)
In vivo (animal)
- are essential for detecting health effects
- Acute, chronic, multi-generation
- Experimental animals may be treated with high doses over a lifetime to evaluate potential to cause cancer
In silico (computer-based)
- biological experiments conducted by computer models; these depend on data previously collected in other experiments
Completion of all toxicity tests may take five or six years and is very costly.
Applications
- They often unravel complex processes that underlie an adverse response.
- Use of toxicants can help determine the function of proteins in complex networks.
Private and Public sectors investment in toxicity testing that aims to protect human health
- Chemical Manufacturers
- Pharmaceutical Industry
- US Federal Agencies and Programs
- National Toxicology Program (NTP)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- State and Local Governmental Bodies
