Toxicophore

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Toxicophore is a term used in pharmacology and drug design to refer to a functional group within a molecule that is responsible for its toxic properties. The concept of a toxicophore is similar to that of a pharmacophore, but instead of contributing to the therapeutic effect of a drug, a toxicophore contributes to its toxicity.

Overview[edit | edit source]

In the field of drug discovery, understanding the toxicophore of a molecule is crucial. This is because it allows scientists to modify the molecule to reduce its toxicity while maintaining its therapeutic effect. This is often done through a process known as medicinal chemistry, which involves the design and synthesis of new drug molecules.

Toxicophores can be identified through a variety of methods, including computational chemistry techniques and in vitro testing. Once a toxicophore has been identified, it can be modified or removed to reduce the toxicity of the molecule.

Examples[edit | edit source]

There are many examples of toxicophores in the field of drug design. For instance, the arylamine functional group is a well-known toxicophore that is associated with a high risk of carcinogenicity. Other examples include the nitro group, which can cause mutagenicity, and the quinone group, which can cause oxidative stress.

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]


Toxicophore Resources
Doctor showing form.jpg
Wiki.png

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD


Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.


Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD