About

Pharmacology is a branch of medicine and pharmaceutical sciences which is concerned with the study of drug where a drug can be broadly or narrowly defined as any man-made, natural, or endogenous molecule which exerts a biochemical or physiological effect on the cell, tissue, organ, or organism. Pharmacology, a biomedical science, deals with the research, discovery, and characterization of chemicals which show biological effects and the elucidation of cellular and molecular function in relation to these chemicals. Pharmacologists are knowledgeable professionals who focus their work into researching and understanding the chemical processes that take place between living organisms and different substances and compounds. The main purpose of a Pharmacologist is to create, develop, and test new medications.

Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical and biological substances on living organisms. Toxicology, is both a science and an art. The science of toxicology is defined as the observational and data- gathering phase, whereas the art of toxicology consists of the utilization of the data to predict outcomes of exposure in human and animal populations. In most cases, these phases are linked because the facts generated by the science of toxicology are used to develop extrapolations and hypotheses to explain the adverse effects of chemical agents. The contributions and activities of toxicologists are diverse and widespread. In the biomedical area, toxicologists are concerned with mechanisms of action and exposure to chemical agents as a cause of acute and chronic illness. Toxicologists contribute to physiology and pharmacology by using toxic agents to understand physiological phenomena. They are involved in the recognition, identification, and quantification of hazards resulting from occupational exposure to chemicals and the public health aspects of chemicals in air, water, and other parts of the environment, foods, and drugs. Toxicologists also participate in the development of standards and regulations designed to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of chemicals. Environmental toxicologists have expanded toxicology to study the effects of chemicals in flora and fauna.

Molecular toxicologists are studying the mechanisms by which toxicants modulate cell growth and differentiation and cells respond to toxicants at the level of the gene and protein through different signaling pathways.

In all branches of toxicology, scientists explore the mechanisms by which chemicals produce adverse effects in biological systems