OTC Drugs Flashcards
T or F. OTC drugs include supplements, minerals, etc.
F! Very little regulation; hard to be certain of concentration, buyer beware!
Primary afferents
neurons that detect sensory info in the periphery (skin, GI tract, etc.)
- they synapse onto secondary afferents in SC which pass sensory info to brain
Polymodal Nociceptors
- pain detected by primary afferents called nociceptors
- polymodal nociceptors: detect many types of painful stimuli (thermal, mechanical, chemical, electrical)
- different types of painful stimuli are detected by specific receptors expressed on polymodal nociceptors
TRP channels
- transient receptor potential channels
- temperature sensitive ligand-gated ion channels
- TRPM8 = activated at temps below 10 edgress C (cold)
- TRPV1 = activated at temps above 43 degrees C (hot)
TRPV1 and TRPM8 receptors can also be activated by ligands
- TRPV1 by capsaicin
- TRPM8 by menthol
Why is inflammation associated with pain?
- bc our innate immune system release substances that bind to nociceptors that cause pain
- receptors respond to inflammatory molecules (bradykinin, cytokines, prostaglandins)
Arachidonic acid
- fatty acid present in phospholipids of cell membranes
- freed from the phospholipid molecule by the enzyme phospholipase A2
- key inflammatory mediator
- what guides non-specific inflammation that happens in response to an infection
- metabolized by COX1 and COX2
(Cyclooxygenase) COX1 and COX2 metabolize arachidonic acid into …
prostaglandins, prostacyclin, and thromboxane
5-lipoxygenase (LOX) metabolized arachidonic acid into …
various leukotrienes (another inflammatory mediator
These drive inflammation because (3)
prostaglandins and leukotrienes
- they are potent vasodilators
- they are pyrogenic (fever)
- they attract immune cells (leukotactic) and coordinate the immune response
These are the enzymes that convert arachidonic acid into precursors of prostaglandins
COX1 and COX2
COX1 is primary expressed in …
non-inflammatory cells (blood vessels, platelets, gastric mucosa)
COX2 is primarily expressed in …
inflammatory cells
What do Aspirin and other NSAIDs inhibit? What’s the result?
both COX isoforms
- this decreases prostaglandin production that inhibits inflammation and reduces pain
- inhibitors also suppress prostaglandin synthesis in the brain that is stimulated by pyrogens and reduce fever (antipyretic action)
Why are non-selective NSAIDs associated with gastric toxicity?
due to inhibition of COX1 enzymes in gastric mucosa
- inhibition of COX1 decrease bicarbonate secretion – more H+
- chronic use = gastric ulceration, upper GI bleeding, renal failure
What was developed to bypass gastric toxicity?
specific COX2 inhibitors (ex: celecoxib)
- effective at reducing inflammation in chronic inflammatory disease (less so for acute pain)
- suggests that mechanisms beyond blocking inflammation drives analgesic effect
- associated with higher risk of cardiovascular toxicity (not available OTC)
This drug is a weak COX1 and COX2 inhibitor … what was later found about it?
Acetaminophen
- inhibits a third COX isoform (COX3); found most abundantly in cerebral cortex
- an analgesic and antipyretic agent; lacks anti-inflammatory effects (unlike NSAIDs)
Acetaminophen
- negligible toxicity at therapeutic doses
- overdose or patients with liver damage = liver damage and death
- preferred drug primarily in children
- if enzymes become overwhelmed by high doses, liver engages secondary pathways that involve SIP enzymes (class 1 metabolism) that leads to reactive intermediates that can eventually lead to toxic compounds leading to liver cell death
Albert Niemann
- German chemist who isolated cocaine from coca leaves
- numbed his tongue
- introduced cocaine as a topical anesthetic for ophthalmological surgery
Due to the addictive and toxicity issues with cocaine, synthetic substitutes were developed:
procain, lidocaine, and bupivicaine = most widely used topical anesthetics
- most contain a hydrophobic (Aromatic) moiety, a linker region, and a substituted amine
- linker region determines its pharmacological properties; how long it works, how well, how fast
**having both properties important!! Amphiphilic! Dissolve equally in water and fat
Procain
there is an ester link (none of the others have this) - leave this susceptible to plasma esterase which can hydrolyze this link, bc of this, duration of action is much shorter than other drugs ; positive side: sometimes you need short term anaesthetic (dentist numbing gums prior to injection of longer anaesthetic like bupivacaine)