L1 Basics of pharmacology

Question 1

What is pharmacology?

Answer 1

The study of what the drug does to the body and what the body does to the drug

Question 2

Define pharmacodynamics

Answer 2

The effect of the drug on the body

Question 3

Define pharmacokinetics

Answer 3

The effect of the body on the drug

Question 4

What are the four main classes of drug targets?

Answer 4

• Receptors
• Ion Channels
• Carrier Molecules
• Enzymes

Question 5

What is an agonist?

Answer 5

A substance that activates a receptor

Question 6

What is an antagonist?

Answer 6

A substance that blocks the action of agonists

Question 7

What are the four main types of receptors?

Answer 7

• Intracellular receptors
• Enzyme (kinase) linked receptors
• G-protein coupled receptors
• Ligand gated ion channels

Question 8

Where do our drugs come from?

Answer 8

• Naturally occurring (plants & fungi)
• Synthetic (manufactured)
• Biologics (derived from natural compounds)

Question 9

Give an example of a drug derived from a plant.

Answer 9

Aspirin from willow tree bark

Question 10

What is the role of pharmacodynamics in drug therapy?

Answer 10

It allows us to determine the appropriate dose range for patients and compare the efficacy and safety of one drug to another

Question 11

What are the steps of pharmacokinetics?

Answer 11

• Absorption
• Distribution
• Metabolism
• Excretion

Question 12

What does absorption refer to in pharmacokinetics?

Answer 12

The process from the site of administration into the blood

Question 13

Fill in the blank: The _______ is the elimination of the drug from the body.

Answer 13

Excretion

Question 14

True or False: Drug target interactions are solely based on the drug’s concentration.

Answer 14

False

Question 15

What are the types of interactions that determine drug binding to its target?

Answer 15

• Van der Waals forces
• Hydrogen bonds
• Ionic interactions
• Covalent bonds

Question 16

What is signal transduction?

Answer 16

The process by which a drug mimics or blocks the action of endogenous chemical messengers

Question 17

What is the function of G-protein coupled receptors?

Answer 17

They are coupled to effector proteins that produce second messengers

Question 18

Fill in the blank: Salbutamol is a _______ receptor agonist.

Answer 18

β2

Question 19

What is the function of enzymes in drug action?

Answer 19

They can either be inhibited or act as a false substrate

Question 20

Define ligand-gated ion channels.

Answer 20

Channel-linked receptors that require an agonist to open the channel

Question 21

What is the role of voltage-gated channels?

Answer 21

They require a change in membrane potential to open/close

Question 22

What is the significance of receptor subtypes?

Answer 22

They determine the specific response of a cell based on the receptor subtype expressed

Question 23

True or False: All drugs have the same mechanism of action.

Answer 23

False

Question 24

What are nuclear receptors?

Answer 24

A family of soluble receptors involved in gene transcription changes

Question 25

What is the role of phosphorylation in signal transduction?

Answer 25

It is a mechanism for biological information transfer

Question 26

Name a drug that acts as an antagonist at the GABA A receptor.

Answer 26

Benzodiazepines

Question 27

What is the primary action of antihistamines?

Answer 27

To block the action of histamines

Question 28

Fill in the blank: The _______ is an example of a drug that acts on a voltage-gated sodium channel.

Answer 28

Lidocaine

Question 29

What are the two major classes of nuclear receptors?

Answer 29

• Class I: Located in cytoplasm
• Class II: Present in nucleus

Question 30

What type of receptor does insulin bind to?

Answer 30

Insulin receptor, which is a receptor tyrosine kinase

Question 31

True or False: Full agonists can produce a maximal response in the system.

Answer 31

True