ABSTRACT
When the organism is exposed to a potentially toxic compound at critical concentrations, a toxic response is often evoked locally, at the site where the xenobiotic first gets into contact with the body, such as skin, airways, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, etc. This makes sense, in particular if the chemical is highly reactive. However, in most cases, xenobiotics are absorbed and distributed throughout the body, where they cause either general systemic effects or effects that occur predominantly in certain specific target organs. Such a target organ-selective toxicity, often independent of the route of uptake, is called organotropic toxicity.
