Xenobiotic

A xenobiotic is a chemical substance found within an organism that is not naturally produced or expected to be present within the organism. It can also cover substances that are present in much higher concentrations than are usual. Also called as detoxification. Natural compounds can also become xenobiotics if they are taken up by another organism, such as the uptake of natural human hormones by fish found downstream of sewage treatment plant outfalls, or the chemical defenses produced by some organisms as protection against predators.

The term xenobiotics, however, is very often used in the context of pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls and their effect on the biota, because xenobiotics are understood as substances foreign to an entire biological system, i.e. artificial substances, which did not exist in nature before their synthesis by humans. The term xenobiotic is derived from the Greek words ξένος (xenos) = foreigner, stranger and βίος (bios) = life, plus the Greek suffix for adjectives -τικÏŒς, -ή, -ÏŒν (-tikos, -Ä“, -on).

Xenobiotics may be grouped as carcinogens, drugs, environmental pollutants, food additives, hydrocarbons, and pesticides.

The body removes xenobiotics by xenobiotic metabolism. This consists of the deactivation and the excretion of xenobiotics, and happens mostly in the liver. Excretion routes are urine, feces, breath, and sweat. Hepatic enzymes are responsible for the metabolism of xenobiotics by first activating them (oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and/or hydration of the xenobiotic), and then conjugating the active secondary metabolite with glucuronic acid, sulfuric acid, or glutathione, followed by excretion in bile or urine. An example of a group of enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism is hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450.

Journal Focus: Articles related to but not limited to Medical microbiology, pathogenic microbes, Pharmaceutical microbiology (antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins, vaccines) Industrial microbiology, Microbial biotechnology, Plant pathology, Veterinary, Food, Agricultural, Soil, Environmental Microbiology, etc.

Applied Microbiology: Open Access, a broad-based journal was founded on two key tenets: To publish the most exciting researches with respect to the various topics of Microbiology. Secondly, to provide a rapid turn-around time possible for reviewing and publishing and to disseminate the articles freely for research, teaching and reference purposes.

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Stella

Journal Manager

Applied Microbiology Open Access

Email: appliedmicrobiol@oajournal.org