Lectures 36 & 37: Drugs are poisons and Mechanism based adverse effects Flashcards
Give a use of Nicotine sulphate.
Nicotine was sulphate powder used as an insecticide
How does a nicotinic ACh receptor agonist work as a poison?
Too much activation of the nicotinic receptor can lead to
1. Death of the cell, or; 2. Desensitization of the cell to nicotine, leading to death (respiratory arrest)
What is the main deadly component of amanita muscara?
Muscamol, and other alkalines, not actually muscarine.
What chemical acts as an antagonist to mAChRs?
Atropine
Why would Spanish women drip juice of the Deadly Nightshade?
Atropine, because it is an mAChR antagonist, and so it dilates the smooth muscle of the eye.
Give a physical description of AChE.
This guys here is AChE
Tetramer of enzymatic parts on a stalk that is attached to the cell membrane
Projects into the synaptic regions
Concentrated around the edges of the synapse
Persistent activation of nAChRs on skeletal muscle leads to what?
Tetani/tetenus
What is the earliest muscle that is often affected by AChE inhibitors?
Jaw muscle - locked jaw
Drugs that inhibit AChE does what at synapses? What condition may this lead to?
Enhance the transmission of signal by ACh, can induce tetani
What is the action of physistigmine?
Inhibits AChE
What is the action of digitalis on the heart? (Lay description)
Makes the heart beat more efficiently – slightly harder, and apparently at a lower metabolic cost
What is the action of digitalis on the heart? (Pharmacological description)
Inhibits Na+/K+ ATPase
Thus indirectly reduces the movement of calcium across the cell membrane
What is the main symptom of digitalis intoxication?
Cardiac arrhythmia
What class of drugs should mixed only with caution with digitalis? Why?
Some diuretics because they may cause hypokalemia, thus exacerbating cardiac arrhythmia.
What is an antidote to digitalis induced cardiac arrhythmia?
Banana - has potassium in it
What probably causes the analgesic effect of paracetamol?
A brain metabolite activates the CB1 receptors in certain parts of the brain.
Why can’t you get high on paracetamol?
The metabolite that activates the CB1 is restricted to a certain part of the brain.
At what point does paracetamol illicit a negative effect in the brain?
TRICK Q: there is no concentration at which paracetamol has negative effects are seen in the brain.
What negative effect of paracetamol is seen at high concentrations? On- or off-target?
Off: damaging actions occurs as a consequence of its metabolism by the endothelial cells of the liver. When the liver metabolises large amounts of paracetamol it suffers oxidative damage. Endothelium, and thus the liver, dies.
Give an example of a drug in which the negative effect is the same as the beneficial effect. Explain why it is potentially dangerous.
Atropine, used to increase cardiac output; it can cause cardiac arrhythmia and if you inhibit ATPase pump completely then you stop all cardiac APs and you die.
What is the therapeutic ratio?
Therapeutic ratio = (largest tolerated dose)/(minimal effective dose) (ie, x2/x1)
Is the therapeutic window the same for everyone? Is it all or none?
No - different people have different sensitivities. No - therapeutic window is a continuum.
What is the benefit of on-target compared to off-target effects?
On-target effects are predictable whereas off-target effects are more difficult to predict because you don’t necessarily know where it could happen.
What is the pharmacological name of Teldane and what is it a precursor to?
Terfenadine - a precursor to Telfast/fexofenadine.
How was terfenadine first marketed?
As a non-drowsy antihistamine
What is the bioavailability of teldane? What type of drug does this make terfenadine?
Zero bioavailability until it is metabolized into fexofenadine by CYP 3A4 in the liver - therefore teldane is a pro-drug.
How is terfenadine metabolized in the liver?
Metabolized in the liver by CYP 3A4 on the cytochrome P450s