Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology

History of department

Department originates from the Department of Medical Chemistry, University of St. Vladimir, established in 1867. Since 1999, in connection with the opening of the Faculty of Pharmacy – the Department  was renamed to “Bioorganic, Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry”. Since 2014, a new Department of “Pharmaceutical, Biological and Toxicological Chemistry” has been separated. In 2021, the Department was reformed and called “Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology”.

In different years the Department was headed by its employees and eminent scientists such as A. Schaeffer, A. Sadoven, S. Kravchenko, S. Fomin, S. Vinokurov, D. Ferdman, R. Chagovets, E. Shamrai, Y. Hmelevsky.

Since 1997 to 2010 the Department was headed by Corresponding Member of NAMS of Ukraine, Honored Scientist of Ukraine, laureate of NAMS of Ukraine, MD, Professor Yuri I. Gubsky, a leading scientist in the field of medical biochemistry and biochemical pharmacology and toxicology physiologically active compounds, the author of over 300 scientific publications, including monographs, textbooks, scientific reference.

Priority development corresponding member of NAMS of Ukraine Professor Y. Gubsky and scientific school headed by him was a series of works devoted lipid-oxidative reactions in nuclear chromatin, free radical damage of DNA, the role of calcium in violation of metabolic processes under conditions of failure and antioxidant action of highly toxic xenobiotics.

Since 2010 the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Toxicology is headed by MD, Professor, Honorary Scientist and Technician of Ukraine Iryna Nizhenkovska. She has 40 years of experience in scientific and pedagogical work.

Research works by I. Nizhenkovska are dedicated to biochemical and membrane mechanisms of damage to the internal organs in various pathological conditions and their correction by physiologically active compounds; problems of detection of bioenergy, functional and ultrastructural changes in the myocardium under conditions of heart failure of functional and toxic genesis, as well as pharmacological correction of biochemical and membrane damage to myocardiocytes in various types of heart failure and toxic damage; synthesis and pharmacological assessment of biological activity of new compounds; biochemical and pathobiochemical molecular mechanisms of biomembrane damage and therapeutic and preventive use of bioantioxidants;

development of educational and methodological support, reform of higher pharmaceutical education, implementation of modern new educational technologies taking into account the specifics of teaching organic, biological, pharmaceutical and toxicological chemistry for students of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

I. Nizhenkovska was the first in the world, who experimentally substantiated the feasibility of metabolic compounds, derivatives of succinic acid and uracil during anthracycline toxicity and cardiomyopathy caused by anthracycline antibiotics.