GLOSSARY

Mycotoxins

are toxic metabolites produced by naturally occurring fungi "myco" ----> fungus "toxin" ----> poison

Kupffer Cells

specialized cells inside the sinusoids of the liver, which remove and destroy toxic rubbish from the blood in the sinusoidal spaces. They are known as phagocyte cells because they ingest and destroy rubbish. These cells are vitally important to healthy liver function.

Bacteria

micro-organisms that can be shaped as a sphere, a rod or a spiral. They grow in colonies, usually composed of the descendants of a single cell. All animals and humans carry bacteria on and in their bodies, and some have the potential to cause serious diseases. Many bacteria produce toxins. Bacteria are the principle agents of decay and putrefaction of organic substances.

Fungi

a species of plant-like organisms that includes yeasts and moulds. Fungi can grow as single cells, as in yeast, or as multicellular filamentous colonies, as in moulds and mushrooms. Many forms are pathogenic to animals, humans and plants.

Viruses

a minute organism dependent on nutrients inside the cell for its metabolic and reproductive needs.  It differs from bacteria due to its composition and method of reproduction.

Parasites

an organism that lives within, upon, or at the expense of another organism, known as the host, without contributing to survival of the host.

Enzyme

are complex proteins capable of inducing chemical changes in other substances without being changed themselves.

Amino Acids

a group of organic compounds identified by the presence of both an amino group (NH2) and a carboxyl group (COOH). They are the building blocks for protein and are essential to life. Although around 80 amino acids are found in nature, only 22 are needed for human metabolism. The ones that cannot be produced by the body, and must be supplied by food, are called essential amino acids. The essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, tryptophan and valine. The non- essential amino acids (which the body can manufacture itself) are alanine, aspartic acid, arginine, citrulline, glutamic acid, lycine, hydroxyl glutamic acid, hydroxyproline, norleucine, praline and serine. Arginine can be essential in certain states or age groups because the body cannot make it fast enough to supply the demand.

Free radicals

are unstable molecules produced as a by product of the metabolization of oxygen. The problem with free radicals is that they are associated with a multitude of disease processes including heart disease, autoimmune conditions, cancer and aging.

Antioxidant

minerals,  vitamins or other substances found in fruits and vegetables and supplements, such as vitamins E, C and selenium and beta-carotene, which help to scavenge free radicals, preventing our bodies from degenerating at a rapid pace.

Carcinogenic

capable of causing cancer.

Conjugation

means to 'join together'.

Xenobiotics

ammonia, metabolic waste, drugs, alcohol and chemicals. Includes enterotoxins (potentially toxic chemicals endogenously generated by gut bacteria), endobiotics (intermediate/end products of normal metabolism/enzymolysis etc) and exotoxins (ingested, inhaled and absorbed toxic chemicals).

Substrate

the substance acted upon by an enzyme

Isoenzymes

One of several forms in which an enzyme may exist in various tissues. Although the isoenzymes are similar in catalytic qualities, they may be separated from each other by special chemical tests.

Catalyse

speed up the rate of a chemical reaction.

Neurotransmitters

substances such as norepinephrine, acetylcholine, serotonin and dopamine released from nerve cells.

Dioxin

Dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known. An EPA report confirmed that dioxin is a cancer hazard to people; that exposure to dioxin can also cause severe reproductive and developmental problems (at levels 100 times lower than those associated with its cancer causing effects); and that dioxin can cause immune system damage and interfere with regulatory hormones. Dioxin is a general term that describes a group of hundreds of chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment. Dioxin is formed by burning chlorine-based chemical compounds with hydrocarbons. The major source of dioxin in the environment (95%) comes from incinerators burning chlorinated wastes. Dioxin pollution is also affiliated with paper mills which use chlorine bleaching in their process and with the production of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics.

Organophosphates

(OPs) are chemical substances originally produced by the reaction of alcohols and phosphoric acid. In the 1930s they were used as insecticides, but the German military developed these substances as neurotoxins in World War II. They function as cholinesterase inhibitors, thereby affecting neuromuscular transmission. Organophosphate insecticides, such as diazinon, disulfoton, azinphos-methyl, and fonofos, are used widely in agriculture and in household applications as pesticides.

Sulfonamides

are a family of antibiotics used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections. They are available in oral forms, to treat infections throughout the body, as well as in vaginal and ophthalmic (eye) preparations that are applied topically. Each drug within the family kills specific bacteria.

Barbiturates

are the earliest known class of sedative-hypnotic agents and were once extremely popular drugs to abuse. Drugs from this chemical class are used for their central nervous system depressant properties, including sedation, facilitation of sleep, seizure control, general anesthesia, preanesthetic, anxiolytic, disinhibition,

Metabolite

any product of metabolism such as an intermediate or an end product that is excreted.

Amines

any one of a group of nitrogen containing organic compounds.

Endocrine

a system in the body in which substances (hormones) are made and released (secreted) into the bloodstream.