📄 Category

pharmacology and toxicology

94 papers

Pharmacology and toxicology explore how substances interact with living systems, ranging from the development of life-saving medicines to understanding the dangers of chemical exposure. This field sits at the critical intersection of chemistry and biology, asking essential questions about how drugs work, how the body processes them, and what happens when things go wrong. It is a dynamic area where researchers constantly strive to improve patient safety while discovering new therapeutic possibilities.

At Gist.Science, we bridge the gap between complex research and public understanding by curating the latest preprints from bioRxiv in this vital category. Our team processes every new submission from bioRxiv as it appears, transforming dense scientific data into both plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries. This ensures that whether you are a specialist or a curious reader, you can grasp the significance of these emerging findings without getting lost in jargon.

Below are the most recent pharmacology and toxicology papers from bioRxiv, each accompanied by our expert analysis to help you navigate the latest scientific breakthroughs.

📄 pharmacology and toxicology

Acute inflammation-mediated attenuation of behavioural sensitization in methamphetamine-sensitized mice via distinct COX-2 and TNF-α pathways

This study demonstrates that acute inflammation, induced by either lipopolysaccharides or restraint stress, suppresses methamphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization in mice through distinct COX-2 and TNF-α pathways, respectively, offering new insights into how mild inflammation may alleviate positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

Shinohara, R. C., Ishikawa, S., Matsumoto, R., Ito, K., Tonosaki, M., Matsuyama, S., Ohgidani, M., Koga, M., Hashimoto (…)2026-05-12
📄 pharmacology and toxicology

Sex-specific amplification of IKr-blocker-induced action potential prolongation by reduced female IKs repolarization reserve: a computational study using the O'Hara-Rudy human ventricular model

Using a computational model of human ventricular cardiomyocytes, this study demonstrates that a 45% reduction in female IKs conductance significantly amplifies the action potential prolongation caused by IKr blockade compared to males, providing a quantitative ionic basis for the higher susceptibility of women to drug-induced Torsades de Pointes.

Magesh Raghavan, T. A.2026-05-11
📄 pharmacology and toxicology

Lysophosphatidic Acid (LPA) Salivary Species Detection and Whole-mount LPA Receptor Localization in Mouse Salivary Gland

This study demonstrates that *Porphyromonas gingivalis*-induced periodontal disease triggers a significant increase in salivary lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) levels in mice, mirroring human findings, and identifies the widespread expression of LPA1, LPA3, and the novel LPA4 receptors in mouse salivary glands, highlighting the critical role of LPA signaling in gland biology and its implications for autoimmune and pharmacological research.

Cerutis, D. R., Kumar, D., Nichols, M. G., Roemer, G. R., Fluent, M. E., Miyamoto, T., Alnouti, Y.2026-05-01
📄 pharmacology and toxicology

Otenabant is a Selective Antagonist of Human PIEZO1

Through a high-throughput screen of FDA-approved drugs, researchers identified Otenabant, a selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist, as a potent and species-specific inhibitor of human PIEZO1 channels that effectively restores red blood cell deformability, offering a promising chemical scaffold for developing therapies for PIEZO1-related disorders.

Jaquet, V., Penttinen, R., Rodriguez, G., Castelbou, C., Cambet, Y., Rosa, N., Bourdin, M., Asghariastanehei, B., de Lim (…)2026-04-30
📄 pharmacology and toxicology

Derivation and theoretical validation of fractional quasi-steady state approximation (fQSSA) for target-mediated drug disposition models with memory effects

This paper introduces a fractional quasi-steady-state approximation (fQSSA) for target-mediated drug disposition models to address memory effects and parameter identifiability challenges, deriving a rigorous validity condition and demonstrating its utility through successful application to recombinant human erythropoietin data.

Byun, J. H., Park, I., Yun, H.-y., Kim, J. K.2026-04-29
📄 pharmacology and toxicology

A Nonsteroidal Reversal Agent Inhibits Allopregnanolone Modulation of α1β3δ GABAA Receptors

The study demonstrates that the nonsteroidal agent DKD99 selectively and allosterically reverses the positive modulatory effects of allopregnanolone on human α1β3δ\alpha1\beta3\delta GABAA_A receptors without altering GABA's action, offering a promising alternative to steroid-based therapies for conditions involving neurosteroid intolerance.

Zhou, X., Youssef, Y., Miller, K. W.2026-04-17
📄 pharmacology and toxicology

Slow Dissociation of Nitazenes from the μ-Opioid Receptor Underlies the Challenge of Overdose Reversal

This study reveals that the slow dissociation kinetics of nitazenes from the μ-opioid receptor, driven by specific interactions with receptor subpockets, underlies their high affinity and the increased naloxone doses required to reverse overdoses.

Clayton, J., Kozell, L. B., Eshleman, A. J., Bloom, S. H., Schutzer, W. E., Abbas, A. I., Stavitskaya, L., Shen, J.2026-04-16
📄 pharmacology and toxicology

Increased utrophin expression in healthy and DMD patient derived myoblasts in response to ERK1/2 and EZH2 inhibitor treatment

This study demonstrates that inhibiting ERK1/2 and EZH2 increases utrophin expression in human myoblasts, with a unique sustained effect in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patient-derived cells that also reverses altered myogenic transcription factor profiles, suggesting a promising therapeutic strategy to compensate for dystrophin loss and restore muscle regeneration.

Gleneadie, H. J., Francis, T., Mo, S. P. L., Ahmed, A., Bensalah, M., Muntoni, F., Harridge, S. D. R., Merkenschlager, M (…)2026-04-15