Pharmocology

Question 1

What is pharmacology?

Answer 1

The study of drug action on animals, organs, tissues and cells

Question 2

What is the difference between a drug and a toxin?

Answer 2

Nothing except the dose

Question 3

What does endogenous mean?

Answer 3

Within the body

Question 4

How do drugs work?

Answer 4

Mimic/blocking endogenous molecules

Question 5

What is a pharmacon/ligand?

Answer 5

A biologically active substance (drug)

Can be hormone (water soluble), cytokines (small peptides), growth factors, neurotransmitters, pheromones

Question 6

Exogenous derived pharmacons are usually what type of molecules?

Answer 6

Organic and cyclic

Question 7

Drugs can have specific effects related to their chemical structure. How do these drugs work?

Answer 7

Bind to specific targets

Question 8

What are examples of drugs that have non-specific effects (related to their physiochemical characteristics)?

Answer 8

Antacids
Laxatives
Purgatives
Diuretics

Question 9

What are the 4 main targets for pharmacons?

Answer 9

RECEPTORS
Enzymes
Ion channels
MRNA/DNA

Question 10

What is affinity?

Answer 10

Overall strength of binding

Question 11

What is specifity?

Answer 11

The geometry, how specific

Question 12

What is the Structure Activity Relationship?

Answer 12

Study of the structure of a molecule and how well that relates to its activity
(Want to optimise both)

Question 13

When trying to create a drug for a disease, what is the order of events?

Answer 13

Identify disease
Identify target
Synthesise selective and small ligands
Assess function

Question 14

What is the LD50?

Answer 14

Lowest dose that kills 50% of animals

Question 15

What is the therapeutic index?

Answer 15

The ratio of the lowest effective dose: lowest fatal dose

Question 16

Anaesthetics are very dangerous, does this mean they have a low or high therapeutic index?

Answer 16

Low

Question 17

What is pharmokinetics?

Answer 17

The mechanism of drug action

Question 18

What is the mechanism of drug action? MADE

Answer 18

Metabolism
Absorption
Distribution
Elimination

Question 19

What are most receptors?

Answer 19

Cell surface proteins

Question 20

What is an agonist drug?

Answer 20

A drug which binds to and has an effect on a receptor (conformational change)

Question 21

What is an antagonist drug?

Answer 21

Drug which prevents an effect (conformational change) on a receptor

Question 22

What is an example of an agonist drug?

Answer 22

Histamine

Causes the release of gastric acid

Question 23

What is an example of an antagonist drug?

Answer 23

Ranitidine
Blocks histamine receptors
Prevents gastric acid secretion

Question 24

What is an opioid?

Answer 24

Drug with morphine like effects

Question 25

What is the difference between an opiate and an opioid?

Answer 25

Opiates are natural | Opioid is natural and synthetic

Question 26

What is the Law of Mass Action?

Answer 26

The more drug there is, the more binding there is (up until saturation)

Question 27

What is affinity?

Answer 27

How well a molecule binds

Question 28

What is efficacy?

Answer 28

How well a molecule does seething

Question 29

What levels of affinity and efficacy do agonists have? What about antagonists?

Answer 29

High affinity, high efficacy | High affinity, low efficacy

Question 30

Why are log scales used to compare drugs?

Answer 30

Easier to interpret

Question 31

How do agonist drugs work? (3 steps)

Answer 31

Reception (& conformational change) Transduction Response

Question 32

What is the cascade effect?

Answer 32

A receptor activates something which activates another - ends up with large amount affected

Question 33

What is a metabotropic receptor?

Answer 33

Membrane receptor which acts via the second messenger model

Question 34

What is an example of a metabotropic receptor?

Answer 34

G protein coupled receptor

Question 35

What are G protein coupled receptors?

Answer 35

Single polypeptide, work by second messenger model and inhibiting ion channels

Question 36

G protein coupled receptors are mainly to do with which sense?

Answer 36

Olfaction

Question 37

What are G protein activated enzymes? Give examples

Answer 37

Enzymes acted upon by G proteins | E.g. cAMP, cGMP

Question 38

What are the 2 mechanisms to switch a protein on?

Answer 38

Phosphorylation | GTP binding to G proteins

Question 39

What are G proteins?

Answer 39

Proteins acting as an on/off switch Switched on by the binding of GTP Switched off by the binding of GDP

Question 40

What causes the airways to constrict in asthma? How is this treated?

Answer 40

Bronchospasms | Noradrenaline

Question 41

Adrenoreceptors can be B1, B2. What does B1 receptor do?

Answer 41

Increase heart rate and contractility

Question 42

What do B2 adrenoreceptors do?

Answer 42

Cause vasodilation