2.4 pharmaceutical chemistry Flashcards
what are drugs?
substances which alter chemical processes in the body
drugs which have a beneficial effect are used in…
medicines
medicines usually contain the drug/active ingredient plus…
fillers, sweeteners, coatings
how do drugs initally work?
by binding to receptors or catalytic receptors
what are receptors
specific protein molecules on the surface of a cell
what are catalytic receptors?
specific enzymes that catalyse reactions within the cell
how are drugs able to bind to receptors?
their shape and size allow them to fit into the receptor binding site
what happens when a drug binds to a receptor?
interactions (IMF and/or ionic bonds) form and a biological response is triggered
how does an agonist work?
mimics the natural compound and binds to the receptor to produce a similar response
how does an antagonist work?
prevents the natural compound from binding to the receptor, blocking the natural response form occuring
how do enzyme inhibitors work?
they bind to the active site of an enzyme, blocking the reaction it catalyses
what is a pharmacophore?
a structural fragment that allows it to form interactions with the receptor binding site or enzyme active site
what does a pharmacophore usually consist of?
different functional groups correctly orientated with respect to each other
how can the structure of pharmacophores be identified?
by comparing the structure of drugs with similar pharmacological activity
how do you calculate % solution by mass?
% solution = (mass of solute / volume of solvent) x 100
