How do toxins interact with biological targets?
Toxins are the poisonous or toxic substances that are generated by metabolic activities in the living organisms and can pose a threat to human lives. Some drugs may contain toxins in small amounts but can be fatal or harmful if present in larger amounts. They can be naturally occurring organic small molecules or conjugated proteins, peptides that can be absorbed by the body tissues thereby interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes or cellular receptors. The mechanism of action of toxin is by binding on to the host cell surface inducing translocation across the plasma membrane by undergoing endocytosis where they penetrate the endosomal membrane to reach the cytosol. The interaction of the toxicants with the biological target is done through malfunctioning of the target such as disruption of the protein structure rendering them inactive resulting in disruption of membrane protein channels. This can induce the effect of transmembrane signaling and loss of enzyme function...