Xenobiotic

Xenobiotics ( foreign Greek for the life substances ) are chemical compounds that are the biological material cycle of an organism or natural ecosystems alien. They often contain structural elements that do not or only rarely occur in natural products in this form.

Origin and Meaning

In nature xenobiotics are almost always anthropogenic origin; frequent xenobiotics are artificial pesticides, such as halogenated hydrocarbons and plastics. Many of these substances are biologically difficult or even non-degradable. This is due partly to the presence of naturally occurring functional groups, such as rare aromatic nitro or sulfonic acid groups, see for example the letters acids.

Xenobiotics can positively, or not at all harmful to the environment and organisms interact ( ecotoxicity). A toxic effect depends not only on the absorption ( solubility in water or fat ) also on the biodegradability and the possibility of starting to make the most lipophilic xenobiotic biotransformation in water and thus excreted as well as the enrichment in certain organisms or parts of organisms.

Biochemistry

In biochemistry, the term xenobiotics includes all exogenous substances. Where the word is to make sure which organism is meant. For example, the fungus is a xenobiotic substance to humans, such as an antibiotic not xenobiotic, which it forms.