How Drugs Act I Flashcards
Define “drug specificity”
The degree to which the effects of a drug are due to the one pharmacological action
Define “drug affinity”
The strength of non-covalent bonds between drug and receptor (DR) as measured by Kd of the DR complex
Define “dissociation constant”
The concentration at which half of the drug is bound to the receptor at equilibrium
At equilibrium, dissociation = association. How can this be stated in an equation form?
Kd = Ka
Define “agonist”
A drug that produces a positive effect when bound to a receptor
Define “antagonist”
A drug that reduces the effect of an agonist at a given receptor
Define “inverse agonist”
A drug that produces a negative effect when bound to a receptor
Define “efficacy”
= Emax, the maximum response achievable from a drug
Define “potency”
The dose of the drug required to produce a specific effect of given intensity
What is a “super agonist”?
When the maximal response is greater than the usual endogenous agonist effect
What effect does a competitive antagonist have on the Dose-Response curve?
Shift from left to right
What effect does a non-competitive antagonist have on the Dose-Response curve?
Shift downwards
