Pharmacodynamics Flashcards
What is a drug?
Any substance that when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect
What is pharmacology ?
The study of how the function of living systems is affected by chemical agents
What are pharmocokinetics?
The study of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs
What are pharmacodynamics?
The study of effects of drugs and their mechanisms of action
What is clinical pharmacology or Pharmacotherapeutucs?
The study of the use of drugs in the prevention and treatment of diseas
What is pharmacotherapy?
Use of drugs to treat disease
What is toxicology?
The study of adverse effects of drugs
What are drug actions?
Drugs are chemicals that alter basic processes in body cells
They can stimulate or inhibit normal cellular functions
What is the mechanism of drug action?
Drug molecules must bind to macromolecular components of the organism in order to produce an effect
What is a drug receptor / drug target?
The component of the organism with which a drug interacts is called a drug receptor or drug target
Most drug targets are proteins
How does a drug initiate a cellular response?
First it must bind to a drug receptor
In most cases, drugs bind to their receptor by forming hydrogen, ionic or hydrophobic bonds with the receptor
- These weak bonds are reversible
- In a few cases, drugs form covalent bonds with their receptor
What determines drug selectivity ?
Drug receptors are responsible for the selectivity of drug action
- The size, shape, and charge of a drug determine whether it will bind to a particular receptor or set 9r receptors
- For a drug to be useful as a therapeutic tool it must act selectively on particular types of receptors, ie, it must show a high degree of binding selectively
What are the major types of drug targets?
- Ion channels
- G-protein linked receptors
- Enzyme linked receptors
- Nuclear receptors
- Enzymes
- Transporters
- Structural proteins
What are ion channels?
Several classes of drugs act by altering the conductance of ion channels
Examples:
-Local anaesthetics
- Sedative-hypnotics
- Antileptics
What are G-protein linked receptors?
Approximately 60% of prescription drugs act by binding to G protein linked receptors
Examples:
- Albuterol, a B2 agonist, is used for asthma
- Propranolol, a B-antagonist, is used for hypertension
What are the enzyme- linked receptors?
The largest group is the receptor tyrosine kinase family
This class of receptors includes the : -Insulin receptor
-Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
What are the tyrosine kinase receptors?
Tyrosine kinase receptors play an important role in cellular growth and differentiation
- Gain of function mutations in these receptor can lead to cancer
- Inhibitirs of tyrosine kinase receptors are used as anti cancer agents
- An example is imantib, which is effective for leukemia
What drugs use nuclear receptors?
These are intracellular
- nuclear receptors regulate the expression of genes controlling metabolism and development
- Members of the nuclear receptor superfamily include receptors for:
- Steroid hormones
- Thyroid hormones
- Vitamin D
Describe enzyme as drug targets
These are a common drug target
Most drugs that target enzymes act by inhibiting enzyme activity.
- Aspirin
- Ibuprofin
- Omeprazole
Describe transporters as sources of drug targets
- Neurotransmitter transporters are the targets of drugs used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders
- Some antidepressant drugs act by blocking serotonin reuptake