Chemistry of Antidotes

Dear Colleagues,

An antidote can be defined as a substance intended to neutralize the effects of a poison, a toxin or even a virus. To counteract the effects of a toxin or virus, vaccines are perfect examples of antidotes. In the field of toxicology, most intoxications require symptomatic management and, exceptionally, antidote treatment. In a toxicological context, certain antidotes may affect the kinetics of the toxin (toxicokinetic action), for example by modifying its absorption, distribution or elimination. On the other hand, other antidotes have a toxicodynamic action, displacing the toxin from its target (the action of flunitrazepam in benzodiazepine poisonings). Many antidotes have proved their therapeutic efficacy, such as 4-methylpyrazole for toxic alcohol poisoning, atropine for organophosphorus poisonings or metal chelators. Others have not proven with certainty their effectiveness (chloroquine and digitalis intoxication) or have a counter-action (pralidoxime and organophosphates compounds).

This Special Issue seems to me to be an opportunity to provide an update on antidotes by addressing different axes, such as the synthesis of new antidotes, new therapeutic applications, experimentation with animal and in vitro studies, etc. Finally, an analytical approach to methods of measuring antidotes in different biological matrices could complete this issue and address a topic rarely reported in the literature.

Prof. Dr. Pascal Houzé
Prof. Dr. Frédéric J. Baud
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.