Chemical Pharmacology

Question 1

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What is meant by lipophilicity?

Answer 1

Measure of how well a compound can dissolve in non-polar mediums, important for membrane penetration.

Question 2

What parameter is used to compare lipophilicity? How is it calculated?

Answer 2

• Partition coefficient: ([Drug] that dissolves in n-octanol) / ([Drug] that dissolves in water)
• Values compared using log scale.
• High Log value indicates lipophilic drug.

Question 3

What are enantiomers?

Answer 3

Pairs of compounds that have different arrangement of atoms around a chiral centre and are mirror images of each other.
- Physically and chemically identical – except for the way they interact with other chiral molecules and the way they interfere with plane polarised light.

Question 4

What are diastereoisomers?

Answer 4

• same molecular formula
• same sequence of bonded elements
• not mirror images of each other
• not superimposible
• 2 or more stereocentres

Question 5

What are meso compounds?

Answer 5

• Compounds which all chiral centres differing but have symmetry within themselves.
• They are the same compound.

Question 6

What are the 3 different ways that drugs can bind and interact with DNA?

Answer 6

• Covalent Bonds (alkylating agents).
• Van-der-Waals (intercalating agents)
• Hydrogen bonding (often ionic) (groove binding).