L1: What is pharmacology? Flashcards
intro to the module
What is pharmacology?
Science of drugs & their effect on the body
What is therapeutics?
Medicinal use of drugs to treat the symptoms of disease
What is pharmacy?
How drugs are formulated & dispensed for uses as medicine
What is toxicology?
Branch of pharmacology that focuses on the harmful effects of chemicals
What is a drug?
A defined chemical structure, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect
What molecules are drugs?
Exogenous molecules
How do drugs produce their effects?
Drugs mimic/block the actions of endogenous molecules
What are exogenous molecules?
Molecules that originate from outside an organism
What are endogenous molecules?
Molecules originating from within an organism
What can drugs bind to?
Receptors, enzymes, ion channels, carrier/transport molecules
How are drugs named?
Drugs usually have 3 names
How are drugs categorised?
By therapeutic use & mechanism
What is the scientific term when small drug molecules bind to large target proteins?
Ligands
What does in silico mean?
On computer
How is drug determined to ‘fit’ into its binding site?
By size & flexibility of the drug
How is drug determined to bind to its target protein?
Nature of chemical bonds that form between drug molecule & binding site
How do drugs (ligands) bind to the target protein?
REVERSIBLY through hydrophobic & hydrogen bonds + van der Waals interactions
Why are irreversibly binding harmful?
When toxin molecule binds to target, it will never function again as covalent bonds change the function
What interactions do drugs bind irreversibly through?
Covalent interactions
What is formed by a ligand binds to a target protein?
Ligand-protein complex
How is the ability of a drug to bind in a precise way described?
Specificity
What is selectivity?
The ability of the receptor to distinguish between drugs, only has 1 effect on the body
What is specificity?
The ability of a drug to interact with only a specific target?
Why is is difficult to be very specific?
Lots of cells in our body share the same molecular target
