9^th Euro-Global Summit on Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology June 22-24, 2017 Paris, France

Toxicology is primarily called ‘the science of poisons.’ It studies the adverse effects caused by physical or chemical agents on the living systems. Paracelsus, the father of toxicology is the first to document the body’s response to the chemicals in relation to the dose. He’s the first one to say that all substances are poisons, what makes it toxic is the dose.

The heredity of living organisms is majorly affected by chemical, physical and biological agents. The effects of these are studied under genetic toxicology. All the research and study information is stored as electronic data in web-based resources such as National Library of Medicine (NLM), which includes MEDLINE®, PUBMED®, TOXNET®, Gateway and also Entrez. The major application of genetic testing is that of predicting the drugs which possess high cancer-causing potential. This  saves a lot of time and resources for the pharmaceutical companies and also assists in carving out safer drug products. 

Human and health toxicology deals with the study of the adverse effects caused to the body by xenobiotic substances. It includes a wide range of disciplines such as Organ systems toxicity, lung toxicology et al.,

Toxicologic pathology studies coalesces the principles of Toxicology and Pharmacology. It has been very essential for a better understanding of the adverse effects of agents which can be physical, chemical or biological. It’s an intricate study both in molecular and cellular level.

Occupational Toxicology, sometimes referred to as Industrial Hygiene, is concerned with the study of the adverse health effects of chemical and other agents in the workplace.  Safe levels of exposure are determined through the application of human and animal data.  A primary objective of occupational toxicology is to ensure safe workplace settings and minimize health risks.

A substance used for controlling or reducing the damage caused by pests is called as pesticide. It can be a chemical substance, antimicrobial, disinfectant or even a biological agent. But the excessive usage of these has increased the toxic relevance in foods. This led to regulations for the market and usage. This is directly under the jurisdiction of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which sets up limits for usage of each and every kind of pesticide/insecticide.

Owing to their quantum size effects and very high surface area to volume ratio, nanoparticles have distinct properties. The toxic nature of these particles is studied under nanotoxicology. Its a branch of bionanoscience, dealing with the study and application of this toxicity. It is also considered to be studied under particle toxicology. The most significant kind of nanoparticles are the metal based nanoparticles which are usually synthesized to be used as semiconductors, thermoelectric materials and electroluminescents. The properties of nanoparticles include cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and also immunogenicity.

Toxicology is generally considered as the study of the adverse effects caused by drugs and chemicals on biological systems and forensic toxicology deals with the application of these cases which have medico-legal or administrative consequences. It’s a modern science which deals with the analysis of the effects of these drugs and also interpretation of results.

The significance of metals at the sites of the human activities is the contributing factor for metal toxicity. The common toxic mechanisms and sites of action, include Enzyme Inhibition/Activation, Subcellular Organelles, Carcinogenicity, Kidney, Nervous System, Endocrine and Reproductive Effects, Respiratory System, Metal-Binding Proteins. The treatment of metal poisoning is accomplished by using chelating agents or antagonists. The first clinically used chelating agent was British antilewisite (BAL [2,3-dimercaptopropanol])

The deleterious impact of chemicals which are generally present in the form of pollutants is dealt under Environmental toxicology. The pollutants are classified as Naturally occurring pollutants and Man made pollutants. The adverse effects of these chemical substances on the ecosystem and humans are evaluated under this science. It can also be defined as an overall assessment of the entire ecosystem using selected species from the ecosystem or laboratory test animals.

Pharmacology is the study of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a drug/foreign substance. What the body does to the drug is studied under pharmacokinetics and what the drug does to the body is studied under pharmacodynamics. The major ADME studies are made under kinetics. These parameters allow the clinician to carve and optimize the treatment regimen to a patient. Pharmacology studies the effect of various factors such as Mechanism of drug absorption, factors influencing it, bioavailability, bioequivalence etc.

It’s the challenging field of toxicology, dealing with the study of the incidence, causatives, manifestations, and sequelae of adverse effects of foreign substances on reproduction. The adverse effects may be caused to the prospective father/mother the certainly the developing embryo. A broad spectrum of agents such as substances of abuse, pesticides, diet, industrial chemicals, drugs etc., may elicit such responses. The different end points in assessing reproductive toxicity include Preconception evaluation and Postconception evaluation. Preconception evaluation include Sperm and ovum production, Animal weight, Conception rates (preimplantation, fertilization). Post conception evaluation include Maternal weight gain, Date of conception, Date of delivery, Implantation number, Fetal viability (live fetuses)