DRUG TARGETING Meaning and
Definition
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Drug targeting refers to the specific delivery of pharmaceutical agents to a particular site within the body, aiming to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of the drugs while minimizing potential side effects. It involves the design and development of drug delivery systems that can selectively accumulate and release drugs at the target site, usually diseased cells or tissues. This approach allows for the directed action of drugs, increasing their concentration at the desired location and reducing their presence in healthy tissues.
Drug targeting systems utilize various strategies to achieve this objective. These may include surface modification of drug carriers to improve their affinity to the target site, incorporation of ligands or antibodies that can recognize and bind to specific receptors or antigens present on the target cells, or the utilization of stimuli-responsive systems capable of releasing drugs upon exposure to specific triggers in the target environment.
The concept of drug targeting brings several advantages over conventional drug delivery methods. By increasing the drug's concentration at the target site, it can potentially enhance therapeutic outcomes while reducing the dose required, thus minimizing potential toxicity and adverse effects. Additionally, by confining drug action to the specific site, unnecessary exposure of healthy cells to high concentrations of drugs can be avoided.
Overall, drug targeting represents a promising approach in improving drug efficacy, reducing side effects, and advancing personalized medicine by enabling the treatment of various diseases with greater precision.
Common Misspellings for DRUG TARGETING
- srug targeting
- xrug targeting
- crug targeting
- frug targeting
- rrug targeting
- erug targeting
- deug targeting
- ddug targeting
- dfug targeting
- dtug targeting
- d5ug targeting
- d4ug targeting
- dryg targeting
- drhg targeting
- drjg targeting
- drig targeting
- dr8g targeting
- dr7g targeting
- druf targeting
- druv targeting
Etymology of DRUG TARGETING
The etymology of the phrase "drug targeting" can be traced back to the individual origins of the words "drug" and "targeting".
1. Drug: The word "drug" has a rather complex etymology. It originated from the Middle English word "drogge", which referred to any kind of substance used for medicinal purposes. This Middle English term was borrowed from the Old French word "droge" or "drogue", which meant "supply". Old French borrowed the term from the Dutch word "droog", meaning "dry" or "dry material". In the 14th century, "drug" began to be associated with specific medicinal substances.
2. Targeting: The word "targeting" derives from the verb "target", which originated from the earlier use of "target" as a noun meaning a small round shield used for practice by archers.
