ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the importance of tissue-specific biochemistry in determining the target organ for a toxic chemical. A biochemical pathway may also be rate-limiting because of some unusual metabolic demand of a tissue. Tissue-specific biochemistry would definitely determine the target organ for any toxin affecting a biochemical process which only occurred in that tissue. Toxicities resulting from tissue-specific biochemistry can be related to the two families of biochemicals involved in communication between cells: hormones and neurotransmitters. Blood-forming tissues require a high rate of proliferation to produce adequate quantities of blood cells. The hematopoietic organs will also require ample supplies of metabolites, vitamins, and energy to produce the blood cells. Liver is particularly rich in enzymes capable of reducing adriamycin chelated iron, but adriamycin is not toxic to the liver.
