B016691 - TOXICOLOGY

Italian

Basic toxicology principles. Toxicological risk evaluation: acute and repeated toxicity, in vitro and epidemiological studies. Mechanisms of molecular and cellular damage. Theratogenesis, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis. Organ systems: hepatic, renal, cardiac, haematic, pulmonary, dermal, ocular toxicology, toxicology of the reproductive, immune, nervous system. Toxicology of heavy metals, solvents, pesticides, environmental pollutants, radiations and electromagnetic fields. Food toxicology.

• Casarett & Doull’s TOXICOLOGY: The Basic Science of Poisons, Editor: C.D. Klassen, VIII° ed. McGraw Hill Professional.
• Casarett & Doull’s ESSENTIALS OF TOXICOLOGY: I fondamenti dell’azione delle sostanze tossiche, Editor: L.J. Casarett, C.D. Klassen & J.B. Watkins, ed. McGraw-Hill Companies.
• PRINCIPLES AND METHODS OF TOXICOLOGY, Editor: A. W. Hayes, Va ed. Raven Press, New York.

The course provides the basic principles of toxicology, mechanisms of toxicity and toxicological risk evaluation, and an overview of the main classes of toxic substances, including toxic effects of drugs.

Courses to be used as requirements (required):
Biochemistry, General Pharmacology, Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy I

Frontal lessons supported by slides, available to students to the UNIFI e-learning platform.

The exam is oral and consists of 3 questions: one on the general part, one on Organ Toxicity, and the third on a specific toxic compound. For each of these general questions, the ability to organize critically the knowledge, the capacity for synthesis, the appropriateness of language, the quality of presentation and precision in citing quantitative data will be evaluated. Further more specific questions within each proposed topic will allow to verify knowledge more deeply, inducing the candidate to expand or clarify previous statements.

Basic principles in Toxicology. Toxicosis phases, antidotes. Toxicological risk evaluation: acute (DL50) and repeated toxicity (NOAEL, ADI) studies, dose-response curves, in vitro studies, epidemiological studies. Mechanisms of cellular and molecular damage and repair. Theratogenesis, mutagenesis, carcinogenesis (examples of the main classes of compounds). CMR, persistent, bioaccumulative compounds. Toxicology of organ systems: hepatic (ethanol, halogenated solvents, Amanita P.), renal (FANS, heavy metals, amynoglycoside antibiotics), cardio-vascular (ethanol and other organic solvents, heavy metals, endothelium-damaging substances, cardio - and vaso-active compounds), haematic (lead, benzene, CO, CN-, methemoglobin inducers), pulmonary (particulate matter, NOx, SOx, O3, cigarette smoke), dermal (dioxin and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons, As, DIC and DAC inducers, UV rays), immune ( halogenated aromatic hydrocarbonsallergenic compounds, autoimmunity inducers), nervous system (neurotoxins, lead and mercury, ethanol, substances of abuse, pesticides, neurotoxic gases). Toxicology of heavy metals, solvents, pesticides, environmental pollutants, radiations. Food toxicology: botulinum toxin, cyanogenic compounds, red and processed meat, aflatoxins, pollutants, food additives.