Introduction to pharmacology Flashcards
1
Q
The receptor concept
A
In pharmacology, anything that causes a physiological effect when interacting with a drug is a receptor. The response is a function of the number of occupied receptors.
2
Q
Agonists
A
- bind to a receptor and produce a response
- possess affinity and efficacy
- eg. acetylcholine, histamine, TNF
3
Q
Antagonists
A
- bind to a receptor but do not produce a response
- prevent agonist binding, blocking the effect
- possess affinity but not efficacy
- may be competitive, irreversible or other
- eg. atropine, etanercept, mepyramine (anti-histamine)
4
Q
Potency
A
A measure of drug activity, hence related to affinity.
5
Q
Affinity
A
The binding strength of the drug-receptor interaction.
6
Q
Chemical specificity
A
Specificity on the side of the drug.
7
Q
The lock and key hypothesis
A
The shape of the drug complements the shape of the receptor.
8
Q
Dissociation constant (KD)
A
KD is the concentration of agonist at which the receptor is half-maximally saturated.
9
Q
The relationship between drug concentration and response
A
- continuous
- saturating
- exhibits a threshold
Hyperbolic on a regular scale, sigmoidal on a logarithmic scale.
