what are carcinogens.?
Carcinogen
A carcinogen can be described as the substance which can cause cancer through carcinogenesis.
Cancer is a life-threatening condition where cells are divided rapidly and cannot undergo cell death. These cells are different from normal cells.
Carcinogens are potent to damage DNA or alter the metabolic activity of cells, which eventually results in the formation of cancer cells.
Biotransformation is a process which tries to make carcinogen more water-soluble so that the consumed carcinogens can be removed from the body.
Carcinogens can be two types –
1. Genotoxic - this substance directly interacts with the genetic material and cause damage or mutation to the DNA. UV, radiation, etc. are the example of genotoxic carcinogens.
2. Non-genotoxic - these carcinogens does not interact directly with the DNA but results in the formation of malignant cells. Some organic compounds, as well as hormones, are examples of non-genotoxic carcinogens.
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