Drug Actions in the CNS- Craviso Flashcards
What is an important factor in CNS pharm?
the blood brain barrier (BBB)
What does the BBB do?
maintains brain homeostasis and transport of endogenous and exogenous compounds by controlling their selective and specific uptake, efflux, and metabolism in the brain
What will the BBB allow to go through channels from the blood to the brain?
Small ions and water
K+, Cl-, Na+, H20
What will the BBB allow to go through membrane transport (passive diffusion) from the blood to the brain?
small lipophilic molecules (o2, co2, anesthetics, barbiturates, ethanol, nicotine, caffeine)
What will the BBB allow to go through carrier-mediated transport (solute carriers)?
Energy transport systems (glucose, monocarboxylates, lactate, pyruvates (MCT1) creatine)
Amino acid transport systems
What will the BBB allow to go through receptor-mediated transport?
insulin, transferrin, leptin, IgG, TNFalpha
What will the BBB allow to go through the adsorption-mediated transcytosis systems?
histone, albumin
What will the BBB allow to go through the active efflux transporters?
P-glycoprotein****
BRCP
MRP
What is P-glycoprotein?
it is an active efflux transporter that pumps many foreign substances out of cells (i.e it can kick out drugs, toxins and stuff out of the brain)
What is this:
belongs to a family of membrane transporters that modulate drug distribution
P-glycoprotein (P-gp)
Capillary endothelial cells of the BBB express high levels of (blank) as compared to other tissues
P-gp
What are some substrates that the active efflux transporter P-gp will transport?
- chemotherapeutic agents (vinka alkaloids, doxorubicin)
- antibiotics such as rifampicin
- anti-epileptic drugs
What is the clinical significance of P-gp?
a drug that is a substrate for active efflux transporters result in VERY LOW levels of the drug in the brain
It has been proposed that (blank) of P-gp plays a role in drug refractory epilepsy and multidrug resistance in general
overexpression
Membrne transport of drugs by passive diffusion depends on the (Blank) of the drug
lipid solubility
The greater the lipid solubility, the (slower/faster) a drug enters the CNS
faster
In general, the oil-water partition coeffcient indicates the relationship between lipid solubility and brain uptake. However there are exceptions, what are they and why?
glucose and L-dopa are not lipidphilic however they have transporters in the brain so get taken up in the brain quickly
Phenobarbital and phenytoin are highly lipidphiic but get metabolized quickly and bind to plasma binding proteins so do not get taken up by the brain
What are the regions where the BBB is more permeable?
- area postrema
- median eminence
- pituitary gland
- pineal gland
- choroid plexus capillaries
(blank) and (blank) cause an increase in BBB permeability
Bacterial and viral infections
What is the most promising route for global drug delivery to the brain? WhY?
vascular route
Because each neuron has its own capillary (for oxygen, ridding of waste, and nutrients)
Can you directly and locally deliver a drug to a particular part in the brain?
yes
Psych drugs act by doing what (generally speaking)?
enhancing or inhibiting neural excitability usually by targeting a specific transmitter system
What are drugs targeting pre-synaptically?
-effects on synthesis, storage, release, reuptake and/or degradation of neurotransmitters; agonist or antagonist activity at nerve terminal autoreceptors
What are drugs targeting post-synaptically?
receptor agonist, antagonist, or modulatory activity, degredation of neurotransmitters
How else can drugs influence behavior and neural excitability?
- effects on voltage-gated ion channels
2. non-selective effects on membranes
What do you target in antiemetic therapy?
blocking chemoreceptor trigger zone, at afferent inputs to the emetic center and in emetic center
Where do you find the chemoreceptor trigger zone?
area postrema
What directly affects the chemoreceptor trigger zone?
blood borne emetics (cytotoxic drugs etc)
What indirectly affects the chemoreceptor trigger zone?
local irritants
blood borne emetics
vagal and sympathetic afferents
What directly affects the emetic center (found in medulla)?
chemoreceptor trigger zone, solitary tract nucleus, cereblellum (inner ear motion), higher centers (memory, fear, anticipation)
How do you prevent nausea and vomiting?
suppress emetic center
What are the major neurotransmiters involved with nausea and vomiting?
NK (neurokinin), Dopamine, 5-HT3
What do you use antiemetics drugs for?
- preventon and tx of chemotherapy induced (CTI) nausea and vomiting
- treating radiation induced (RI) and post-operative (PO) emesis
How do 5HT3 receptor antagonists work?
block 5ht3 receptors and thus inhibit sodium influx, and block intestinal vagal affarents
What are the 2 important 5-HT3 receptor antagonists?
Ondansetron (zofran)
Granisetron (kytril)
How do you give Ondansetron (zofran)?
oral, oral soluble film, IV
How do you give Granisetron (Kytril)?
oral, IV, transdermal pathc (Sancuso)
What is the important NK1 (Substance P/neurokinin) receptor antagonist?
Aprepitant (Emend)
How do you give Aprepitant (emend)?
oral and IV (fosaprepitant)
What antiemetic do you give someone before you knock them out in surgery so that when they wake up they wont vomit from the anesthesia?
ondansetron (zofran)
What is the best way to give medication to someone who needs antiemetics?
Combine 5HT3 antagonist with a NK1 antagonist
Wht besides 5ht3 antagnoists and NK1 antagonists can you use to treat nausea and vomiting (antiemetic)?
- corticosteroids
- D2 receptor antagnoists
What is the important corticosteroid used as an antiemetic?
Dexamethasone
How can you give dexamethasone?
oral, IV
How do D2 receptor antagonists work as antiemetics?
-act peripherally to enhance GI motility
When do you use D2 receptor antagonists?
for treating CTI nausea and vomiting and for treating unproductive nausea and vomiting
What is the important D2 receptor antagonist?
Metoclopramide (reglan)
How do you give metoclopramide (reglan)?
Oral, IM, IV
What are the SEs of D2 receptor antagonists?
Dystonias
Tardive dyskinesia
restlessness, fatigue, headache, insomnia, confusion
How do oral cannabinoids work as antiemetics?
work at high cortical centers
When do you use oral cannabinoids as antiemetics?
with other antiemetics for treatment of breakthrough or refractory emesis
What is the important oral cannabinoid?
Dronabinol (marinol)-synthetic form of THC
What are the SEs of oral cannabinoids?
euphoria, dysphoria, hallucinations; abuse potential
What else do you use marijuana for?
to decrease pain, inflammation, and spasticity
What is breakthrough, refractory emesis?
when you vomit as soon as the antiemesis is removed
What are the drugs typically used to control non-productive nausea and vomiting?
D2 receptor antagonists (phenothiazines) and H1 receptor antagonist
What is the D2 receptor antagonists (phenothiazines) used to control non-productive nausea and vomiting?
promethazine (phenergan)
How do you give promethazine (phenergan)?
oral, suppositories, IM, IV