Martins Section Flashcards
What is a drug?
an substance capable of causing a biological effect
What are the targets for drug action
Receptors, Enzymes, Ion Channels, Carriers and Others
What is a receptor?
an organ or cell able to respond to stimuli and transmit signal
B1 receptors
are found in cardiac tissue
B2 Receptors
lungs
What is an agonist?
It is a drug that is capable of binding to, and activating, a receptor
What is an antagonist?
They block the action of an agonist getting to the receptor
How can drugs be classified?
- By their Name
- By their Action
- By their legal classification
What is potency?
amount of drug needed for the same effect.
intrinsic activity
the maximum response a drug can cause, max effect = 1
What is a partial agonist?
A drug that binds to its receptor but produces a smaller effect at full dosage than a full agonist
what are competitive antagonists?
antagonists that compete with the agonist ligand for the reversible binding to a receptor
What is an inverse agonist?
Agonist that binds to the same site as an agonist however produces an opposite response
What is desensitization?
decreased ability of a receptor to respond to stimulation by a drug or ligand (takes seconds to minutes) short term
What is down-regulation?
target cells lose receptors in response to high hormone levels
What is resensitization?
when the receptors return to allow interaction.
What is the latent period?
Time elapsed before a drug is seen to work
What are the different routes of administration?
Local/Topical, Oral, Parenteral routes
What affects drug absorption?
route of administration, Drug formation, Chemistry of the drug
Factors that affect drug distribution
Blood flow, Barriers, Protein binding, Fat solubility
How can a drug be deposited?
In the Receptors, Absorption, Metabolism, Excretion, Tissue reservoirs
Examples of Opioids
Morphine, oxycontin, Heroin
Examples of CNS depressants
ethanol, ketamines
examples of stimulants
nicotine, cocaine, methamphetamine, ecstasy
What can drug abuse lead to
to tolerance, dependence and withdrawal symptoms.
What is Homeopathy
the treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of disease. Water has a memory
What is tryptophan?
is used to treat animals such as horses, calms them down, however the effective dosage isnt known
What are herbal treatments
they are a various of natural compounds that are used to treat disease and other health issues, various sources reference different dosages.
What is thalidomide?
A drug used for morning sickness in the 70s for women, however had a horrible affect on the babies causing birth defects.
What is Venom
a toxic substance produced by some animals
What is a toxin
are substances produced by biological sources, not injected
where is venom produced from
a specialised gland,
Which species causes marine envenomation
cnidaria, Mollusca, Echinodermata, Chordata
Cnidarians don’t have a…
centraliser venom gland, have a nematocysts
What is efficacy?
maximal effect a drug can produce.
Types of Cnidarians
Anemone, Jelly Fish
Jelly fish potential toxins
Vasoactive amines, elastase, hemagglutinin, protease, palytoxin
Used by Cone snails to inject venom
‘Harpoon’, venom has 100s of peptides
Two types of evoked venoms
Defence-evoked and predation-evoked.
Toxin of blue ringed jellyfish
Tetrodotoxin, inhibits sodium channels during depolarization.
Stonefish venom contains
potent neurotoxins
What is ziconotide?
an atypical analgesic agent
where did ziconotide come from
conus magus, a cone snail
