Introduction

Question 1

What are opiates used for?

Answer 1

Pain relief

Question 2

What does repeated use of opioids lead to?

Answer 2

Addiction

Question 3

What is a)Morphine b)Heroin?

Answer 3

a) The active ingredient in opioids

b) Stronger version of morphine synthesised in the lab

Question 4

How many types of opioid receptors are there?

Answer 4

3

Question 5

What opioid receptor has very high affinity for morphine?

Answer 5

Mu receptors

Question 6

What are 2 endogenous opioids?

Answer 6

Endorphins and Enkephalins

Question 7

What is a drug?

Answer 7

A chemical of known structure which when administrated to a living organism produces a biological effect

Question 8

What are 3 examples of types of drugs?

Answer 8

1) Synthetic chemicals
2) Plant chemicals
3)Biopharmaceuticals (made from DNA like proteins or just oligonucleotides)

Question 9

What is a medicine?

Answer 9

A chemical preparation including a drug or many administrated to produce a therapeutic effect

Question 10

What compounds do medicines often contain as well as drugs?

Answer 10

Excipients, stabilizers, solvents.

Question 11

What are 2 examples of biopharmaceuticals?

Answer 11

1) Proteins
>Copies of endogenous proteins
>Engineered proteins
>Antibodies

2)Oligonucleotides
>Injected mRNA to lead to production of antibodies.

Question 12

What is gene therapy?

Answer 12

Addition of genetic material to cells to prevent or alleviate or cure disease.

Question 13

What is regenerative medicine?

Answer 13

Engineered stem cells to replace irreparably damaged organs.

Question 14

What are the 2 types stages of development of biologics?

Answer 14

1) 1st generation
>Copies of endogenous proteins produced by recombinant DNA technology.

2) 2nd generation
>Engineered proteins to improve the performance.

Question 15

What is the most important step in engineering monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 15

Humanization

Question 16

What does it mean if a drug name ends with “mab”?

Answer 16

It contains monoclonal antibodies.

Question 17

What 4 proteins do drugs interact with?

Answer 17

Receptors, enzymes, transporters, ion channels.

Question 18

Why do drugs have side effects?

Answer 18

As no drug is completely specific, increasing the dose will effect other targets.

Question 19

What are 3 types of drugs acting through receptors and their effects and an example?

Answer 19

1)Agonists
>When bound to receptor causes receptor to switch on as it would if a natural ligand bound to it, brings about change in the cell.

2)Inverse agonists
>When bound to receptor it reduces signalling by the receptor.

3)Antagonists
>Block receptor so no effect occurs, would block effect of agonists and inverse agonists.
>Morphine and Humira

Question 20

What are the two classes of dugs targeting channels and their effect and an example?

Answer 20

1)Blockers
>Enter pore and prevent ion flow through
>E.g. Lidocaine

2)Modulators
>Don’t block the channel, modify how the channel behaves, either open it more or open it less.
>E.g. Valium

Question 21

What are the 3 drug types effecting enzymes and how?

Answer 21

1) Inhibitor
>Binds to enzyme and stops it’s function
>E>g. aspirin

2)False substrate
>Molecules enter enzyme and is catalysed into something inactive

3)Prodrug
>Enters enzyme and active drug is produced.

Question 22

What are 2 drugs which target transporters and how and examples?

Answer 22

1) Inhibitors
>Block transporters from working
>E.g. Prozac and Digoxin

2)False substrate
>Compete with natural substrate creating abnormal accumulation
>E.g. cocaine

Question 23

What are 2 examples of drugs which target the cytoskeleton and what do they treat and how?

Answer 23

1) Colchicine
>Treats gout by preventing assembly of microtubules at sites of inflammation

2)Paclitaxel
> In chemotherapy, prevents microtubule dissemble and interferes with cell division

Question 24

What protein category is most targeted by drugs?

Answer 24

Receptors