Toxicology intro Flashcards
What is toxicology
The study of toxic effects of drugs on the body
What is a xenobiotic
Foreign substance
What is a toxin
Toxic compounds produced by biological systems
What does teratogenic mean
Causes birth defects
What is LD50 ?
The dose of a drug that kills 50% of the population
What is the therapeutic index?
The dose between ED50(conc where 50% of pop experience therapeutic effects) and TD50 (conc where 50% of pop experience toxic effects)
The bigger the therapeutic index, the less likely the drug is to cause an overdose
What is IC50?
Conc necessary to inhibit 50% of a measured response in an in-vitro system
you want a high IC50 so the drug is less toxic , unless the aim of the drug is to kill cells
What is the threshold dose?
The highest conc beyond which adverse effects are witnessed
What is toxicokinetics
considers the rate the chemical enters the body (absorption), how it is stored, metabolised (effects as it passes through the body) and then excreted
metabolism of the drugs can sometimes activate the drug or inactivate the drug
Typically summarised using ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion)
What is lipophilicity?
the ability of a chemical compound to dissolve in Lipids and therefore cross cell membranes
What is toxico dynamics ?
The interaction of a toxic ant with a biological target and its biological effects
Difference between acute and chronic effects
Acute effects - minutes to days
chronic effects - years
