Biochemical Pharmacology

Biochemical Pharmacology publishes original research findings and review articles related to the elucidation of cellular and tissue function(s) at the biochemical and molecular levels, the modification of cellular phenotype(s) by genetic, transcriptional/translational or drug/compound-induced modifications, as well as the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of xenobiotics and drugs, the latter including both small molecules and biologics.

The journal's target audience includes scientists engaged in the identification and study of the mechanisms of action of xenobiotics, biologics and drugs and in the drug discovery and development process.

All areas of cellular biology and cellular, tissue/organ and whole animal pharmacology fall within the scope of the journal. Drug classes covered include anti-infectives, anti-inflammatory agents, chemotherapeutics, cardiovascular, endocrinological, immunological, metabolic, neurological and psychiatric drugs, as well as research on drug metabolism and kinetics. While medicinal chemistry is a topic of complementary interest, manuscripts in this area must contain sufficient biological data to characterize pharmacologically the compounds reported. Submissions describing work focused predominately on chemical synthesis and molecular modeling will not be considered for review.

While particular emphasis is placed on reporting the results of molecular and biochemical studies, research involving the use of tissue and animal models of human pathophysiology and toxicology is of interest to the extent that it helps define drug mechanisms of action, safety and efficacy.

Reports describing experiments conducted with natural product mixtures, plant or animal extracts will not be considered for publication unless the structures and concentrations of all component substances are known, and the agents can be easily obtained by others wishing to replicate the study.

The chemical structure of all novel compounds tested must be included in the submitted manuscript or be readily accessible in the published literature. References to structures in the patent literature must unambiguously identify a single molecular structure. All compounds, reagents, instrumentation and equipment employed in a study must be available from identified commercial suppliers, bio/pharmaceutical companies or from individuals holding legal rights to their use. Submissions will not be considered for publication if the chemical structures of tested compounds are not revealed, generally known, or accessible in the literature.

Original research submissions must contain:

• A rationale for the selection of the compound/drug for study as well as for the concentrations/doses employed. Quantities used for concentration- and dose-response experiments should vary logarithmically, e.g., 1, 3, 10, 30 mg/kg, 0.1, 1.0, 10, 100 nanomolar, etc. Justification must be provided for studying only a single concentration or dose of a compound, especially as it relates to reference standards and antagonists/modulators of receptors, enzymes and signaling pathways.

• Justification must also be provided for the selection of the statistical tests employed as they relate to the experimental design.

• It is expected that all findings have been subjected to rigorous quantitative analyses, with the calculation and reporting of IC50, Ki, EC50, etc., values. These must be derived from a minimum of three (3) separate and distinct experiments, with the replicates within any single experiment being averaged to obtain a single value for that experimental series.

• Manuscripts that fail to meet these criteria will be subject to rejection without peer-review.

US National Institutes of Health (NIH) voluntary posting ("Public Access") policy:
Biochemical Pharmacology and Elsevier facilitate the author's response to the NIH Public Access Policy.