Immunosuppressant Drugs

Question 1

What is the overall use of immunosuppressant drugs?

Answer 1

to suppress the activation of the immune system

Question 2

Name four conditions you can manage with immunosuppressants?

Answer 2

rheumatoid/arthiritic disorders, organ rejection, autoimmune disorders, severe IBD

Question 3

Name the four classes of immunosuppressive drugs

Answer 3

glucocorticoids, azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil, disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, biologics

Question 4

Where are glucocorticoids secreted in the body?

Answer 4

middle layer of the adrenal gland

Question 5

What are some clinical uses of glucocorticoids?

Answer 5

asthma, allergies, eczema, hypersensitivity states, autoimmune diseases, suppression of organ rejection

Question 6

Name two common oral glucocorticoids

Answer 6

prednisolone and betamethasone

Question 7

What is the suffix for glucocorticoids?

Answer 7

-one

Question 8

Do oral or injectable glucocorticoids have a longer duration of action?

Answer 8

injectable

Question 9

Which part of the immune system do glucocorticoids suppress?

Answer 9

IL-2 transcription which prevents proliferation and activation of T-cells

Question 10

What does DMARDs stand for?s

Answer 10

Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs

Question 11

Which part of the immune system to DMARDs suppress?

Answer 11

prevent the activation of the cells that erode cartilage and bone

Question 12

What are some clinical uses for methotrexate (DMARD)?

Answer 12

rheumatoid arthritis

Question 13

Give an example of a DMARD?

Answer 13

methotrexate

Question 14

Which part of the immune system do Azathioprine and Mycophenolate mofetil suppress?

Answer 14

purine synthesis which inhibits DNA synthesis which inhibits cell proliferation

Question 15

Is Mycophenolate mofetil a prodrug or a full drug?

Answer 15

prodrug

Question 16

What are some clinical uses of azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil?

Answer 16

prevent organ rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune disorders

Question 17

What are biologics?

Answer 17

active pharmaceutical ingredients that may be living identities

Question 18

Give some examples of biologics

Answer 18

vaccines, blood, blood components, gene therapy

Question 19

Are biologics or synthetic small molecules larger?

Answer 19

biologics

Question 20

Are biologics available for oral administration?

Answer 20

no, injectable only

Question 21

What are the targets for biologics?

Answer 21

extracellular targets

Question 22

Can all biologic cross a cell membrane?

Answer 22

no most are too big

Question 23

Is the precise structure of all biologics the same?

Answer 23

no, it depends on the cell/organism used for production

Question 24

What are the aims of biologics therapy?

Answer 24

replace an abnormal or deficient protein, alter an existing biological process, provide a new function

Question 25

What are some examples of ways biologics can replace an abnormal or deficient protein?

Answer 25

insulin therapy

Question 26

What are some examples of ways biologics can enhance or inhibit an existing biological process?

Answer 26

rheumatoid arthritis

Question 27

What are some types of biologics?

Answer 27

monoclonal antibodies, proteins, viral vectors, stem cell therapy

Question 28

What are monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 28

proteins used by the immune system to identify and neutralise foreign proteins and organisms

Question 29

How can you produce monoclonal antibodies in the lab?

Answer 29

clone individual cells to produce identical antibodies

Question 30

What are the mechanisms of monoclonal antibody action?

Answer 30

ligand blockade, receptor blockade, receptor downregulation, signalling induction, cell depletion, payload delivery

Question 31

How do monoclonal antibodies cause ligand blockade?

Answer 31

prevent the ligand interacting with the receptor

Question 32

How do monoclonal antibodies cause receptor blockade?

Answer 32

don't activate the receptor, just prevent the ligand binding

Question 33

How do monoclonal antibodies cause receptor downregulation?

Answer 33

bind to the receptors on the cell surface

Question 34

How do monoclonal antibodies cause signalling induction?

Answer 34

they can trigger intracellular signalling upon binding

Question 35

How can monoclonal antibodies cause cell depletion?

Answer 35

start the cell death process

Question 36

How can monoclonal antibodies help with payload delivery?

Answer 36

they can deliver other drugs into the body

Question 37

What is an important cytokine in arthritis?

Answer 37

TNF alpha

Question 38

How do anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies work?

Answer 38

will recognise and bind to TNF alpha which prevents TNF alpha from binding to its receptor. This inhibits gene transcription and therefore inhibits cell proliferation

Question 39

What can anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies be used to treat?

Answer 39

rheumatoid arthritis

Question 40

What is the suffix for monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 40

-mab

Question 41

Give the name of the anti-TNF monoclonal antibody

Answer 41

adalimumab