Antagonism (chemistry)

In chemistry, antagonism is a phenomenon where two or more agents in combination have an overall effect which is less than the sum of their individual effects.

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The word is most commonly used in this context in biochemistry and toxicology. Interference in the physiological action of a chemical substance by another having a similar structure. For instance, a receptor antagonist is an agent that reduces the response that a ligand produces when it binds to a receptor on a cell. An example of this is the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist. The opposite of antagonism is synergy.