ABSTRACT
Understanding the pattern of reactivity between chemicals and their biological targets is important not only from the viewpoint of fundamental chemistry and biochemistry, but also from the practical, day-to-day activities of regulatory agencies and for pharmaceutical drug design. Living processes, both in sickness and health, are to a
large extent guided by the interaction of various small molecular ligands with the biocatalysts and receptors within the cell that determine the manifold aspects of physiological and pathological states. The chemicals not formed in our body, e.g., drugs and xenobiotics, affect their target organs by virtue of being recognized by critical macromolecules.
