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ABSTRACT OF PROFESSOR J.I ANETOR'S INAUGURAL LECTURE

ABSTRACT OF PROFESSOR J.I ANETOR'S INAUGURAL LECTURE

Chemicals have today permeated every facet of life; in part a reflection of contemporary prosperity. Consequently, it is now generally accepted that we live in a chemical habitat. This leads to adverse effects or poisoning of all inhabitants of the world, especially humans. Unfortunately poisoning is poorly recognized. It is only the terminal stage of the continuum of poisoning, death, that is often accepted even by scientists as poisoning. In actual fact, poisoning is any deviation from the optimal chemical arrangement and alteration of the biochemical and physiological activities culminating in a dysfunctional state with of or without clinical manifestations (metabolic poisoning) arising from chemical exposure. Essentially this translates to the overthrow of the chemicals of life by the chemicals of prosperity, disease and death. A reduction in the level of neurotransmitters, inhibition of enzyme activities, thiol group (-SH) disruption, depression of immune function indices, all constitute poisoning. Classical cases of poisonings are well described, such as thalidomide –induced birth defects, the neuropathy from mercury poisoning (Minamata bay disease), the cadmium- induced osteomalacia (itai ita disease) and recently in Nigeria the profound lead poisoning in Zamfara State. Attention had always been disproportionately focused on attempts at eliminating or minimizing chemical levels which is not pragmatic. Thus the need for host fortification to mitigate or serve as antidote to these xenobiotics. The studies reported in this inaugural lecture largely constitute a mechanistic search for antidote to counter the harmful effect of chemicals by nutritional modulation. The body responds to chemical exposure by generating biological molecules including free radicals that may serve as indicators of exposure or toxicity, thus amenable to antioxidants as antidotes. Data from our laboratory demonstrate that we are poisoned from various sources and agents; from drugs, endogenous metabolism including the metabolic processes associated with diabetes, bone disease, pregnancy, asthma and many more. This leads to the overthrow or disruption of the normal relationships of the chemicals of life with dire consequences that set in insidiously, key among which is cancer. The role of nutrients as major determinants of host resistance or susceptibility to chemicals was clearly demonstrated by our data. Poor nutritional status apparently can greatly increase chances of poisoning like neurotoxicity as demonstrated in a number of our reports. Optimal nutritional status or abundance can reduce the severity of poisoning while nutritional deficiency potentiates the toxicity of marginal chemical exposure. This is very important in resource poor countries. Our results affirm that the concept of nutritional modulation of chemical toxicity is an important one, and one that should be exploited to the fullest by scientists and physicians. They call for a re-examination of Paracelsus’ dictum that the dose alone determines the poison. Taken together, our studies strongly support optimum levels of micronutrients as antidote against overt and occult poisoning of the population. Micronutrients act as receptors, co- factors, coenzymes, signal transducers, transcription factors, immune response enhancers and antioxidants. They restore the chemicals of life (health) to their proper levels and order including genome stability, a precursor of the carcinogenic state, thus assisting in unpoisoning or serving as antidotes to our contemporary poisoned world. Though several aspects of chemical toxicity are still incompletely resolved based on weight of evidence, the precautionary principle is advocated to avoid late lessons from early warnings and should be one of the highest research priorities of developing countries.