Dose-response relationship

Dose-response relationship is a fundamental concept in pharmacology, toxicology, and medicine. It describes the change in effect on an organism caused by differing levels of exposure (or doses) to a stressor (usually a chemical) after a certain exposure time. This may apply to individuals (e.g., a small animal, a patient) or a population (e.g., a group of workers, a population of a city, a population of bacteria in a lab dish).

Overview

The dose-response relationship is used in toxicology to determine the level of exposure to a chemical which is safe or, conversely, at what level it becomes harmful. It is also used in pharmacology to find out how much of a drug is needed to cause a therapeutic effect, such as pain relief. In both cases, there are usually three important factors to consider: the dose, the duration of exposure, and the effects observed.

Dose-Response Models

There are several models of dose-response relationship:

• Threshold model: This model assumes that there is a certain level of exposure to a chemical below which no effect is observed and above which effects begin to appear.
• Linear model: This model assumes that any amount of exposure to a chemical will cause an effect, and the effect will increase linearly with the dose.
• Non-linear model: This model assumes that the effect of a chemical is not proportional to the dose.

Factors Influencing Dose-Response Relationship

Several factors can influence the dose-response relationship, including the individual's genetic makeup, age, health status, and the presence of other chemicals.

See Also

• Pharmacology
• Toxicology
• Medicine

References

Dose-response relationship Resources
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