Intro to Pharmacology & Toxicology

Question 1

Define: Pharmacology

Answer 1

The study of the effect of drugs on the function of living systems

Question 2

Define: Pharamcokinetics

Answer 2

The effects of the body on the drug = ADME

Question 3

Define: Pharmacodynamics

Answer 3

The effects of the drug on the body

Question 4

Define: Drug

Answer 4

A biologically active molecule taken with the intent to produce a change in the body
Excludes nutrient/essential dietary ingredient

Question 5

Define: Medicine

Answer 5

A chemical preparation containing 1 or more drugs administered with the purpose of producing a therapeutic effect
Usually contain other substances to make them more convenient to use

Question 6

What was Ehrlich interested in?

Answer 6

Interested in staining cellular components with different dyes
= Targeting cells = ‘magic bullet’

Question 7

What did Langley discover?

Answer 7

Looked at the effect on the muscle of nicotine and curari (contracting and relaxation)
Found effect of nicotine on muscle can be blocked by curari –> they target the same receptor/protein in muscle

Question 8

What is ‘the receptor concept’?

Answer 8

Drug has selective toxicity = therapy without toxicity

Receptor represents a major target for drugs

Question 9

What do agonists and antagonists do?

Answer 9

Agonists = activate receptor
Antagonists = block receptor

Question 10

Define: Molarity

Answer 10

How much substance is in a given volume

Question 11

What is the formula for molarity?

Answer 11

Molarity = moles of solute/litres of solution

Question 12

How many molecules of a substance does one mole contain?

Answer 12

One mole contains 6x10^23 molecules of a substance

Question 13

What is homeopathy?

Answer 13

Alternative therapies
Based on 2 principles:
1) Like cures like
2) The greater the dilution, the more potent the medicine

Question 14

How do drugs work?

Answer 14

Active ingredient (drug molecule) selectively binds to certain molecular targets (receptor)
This exerts cellular effect and effect on the system
Produces therapeutic effect in a concentration-related or concentration-dependent fashion

Question 15

Define: Efficacy

Answer 15

The ability to produce a desired or intended response

Question 16

List 2 ways that drug targets are identified

Answer 16

By exploring disease mechanisms (classical)

By analysing genetic basis or susceptibility to disease (post-genomic)

Question 17

Define: Disease genes

Answer 17

Genes, mutations of which cause or predispose to the development of disease

Question 18

Define: Disease-modifying genes

Answer 18

Genes whose altered expression is thought to be involved in the development of the disease state
OR
Genes that encode functional proteins, whose activity is altered in disease state