How Drugs Work Flashcards
What is the plasma membrane?
A selectively permeable membrane between the extracellular environment and the cytosol.
What is a first messenger?
The drug or ligand which binds to the receptor.
What is a second messenger?
Molecules which relay signals received by receptors to effector proteins.
The Ca^2+ concentration is higher within the cell compared to outside it, true or false?
False.
What happens if the intracellular Ca^2+ concentration rises?
Adverse effects occur.
Is the hydrophobic region embedded within the core or facing the inner and outer surfaces of the membrane?
Embedded within the core.
Is the hydrophilic region embedded within the core or facing the inner and outer surfaces of the membrane?
Facing the inner and outer surfaces of the membrane.
Why is the lipid bilayer important?
To allow the functioning of plasma membrane proteins.
Why is the plasma membrane described as semi-permeable?
It allows the entry of certain components or ions.
How are drugs distributed through the body?
By the blood and other bodily fluids.
What happens when drugs arrive at their proper site of action?
They bind to receptors, usually located on the outer membrane of cells and trigger a conformational change which triggers the activation of enzymes and chemicals inside the cell which will lead to a change in functional response.
What does it mean if the drug binds to another substance in the blood?
There’s less free drug available to bind to the receptors.
