Lecture 1- Part I Flashcards
What is medicinal chemistry ?
A branch of Chemistry focusing on
Drug design
Drug synthesis and
Drug development
in collaboration with
Biochemistry
Pharmacology.
When would we rely on medicines ?
When the body, specifically the immune system and numerous repair mechanisms processes prove insufficient.
What do medicines do ?
Cure or control various diseases
What two properties does the vast majority of drugs have ?
Organic molecules
Low molecular weight (<500 da)
Give one example of a protein-based therapy ?
Antibiotics
Which are a lot larger than 500 da
What has direct impact on the efficacy (ability for a drug molecule to act as a drug) of an organic drug molecule and its ability to interact with its targets?
The structure and nature of functional groups
True or false. The functional groups work together to not only bind to its target but is also involved with the drugs mechanism of action
True
What is the process of the developing a new drug
- Understanding drug-target interactions
- Design improve analogues
- Synthesise new molecules
- Evaluate new compounds
Helps achieve drug development in an efficient way
What was the process of the development of new drugs before we found a more efficient way of drug development ?
- Use of plants or plant parts
- Preparation of semi-pure extracts
3.insulation of pure active molecules - Design and synthesis of molecules specific for a disease
What did we realise from the early parts of the second millennium ?
Specific ingredients in the plants were responsible for the observed therapeutic activity. Not the actual plant
What did this realisation led to in terms of what was desired to be obtained for the use of medicines ?
Focus shifted to obtaining semi-pure and standardises plant preparations for the use of medicines
What did the first publication of herbs and pharmacopeias contain ?
Contained specific information on the preparation and use of various plants to treat various conditions. Some preparations are used today
What plant preparation is still used today ?
Feverfew which contained parthenolide used to trust migrants and headaches
It has anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperalgesic effects
Give examples of medicinal plants and their drugs that were used historically that still play a major part in medicines today ?
Opium poppy- morphine
Ma huang - ephedrine
Fever tree- quinine
Erythroxylum coca- Cocaine
Foxglove- digoxin
Name two structural features that are common in cocaine, amylocaine and procaine
- Tertiary amine
- Benzonate
