Pharmacodynamics Flashcards
What are the 4 major medical effects of morphine? Suppose you just had surgery. Which of morphine’s effects would be most important to you? Which would be “side” effects?
The 4 major medical effects of morphine are relieving pain, inducing sleep, suppressing coughs, and slowing intestinal motility. If I was coming out of surgery, I believe the most important effect morphine can have for me would be relieving my pain. The side effects would be inducing sleep, suppressing coughs, and slowing intestinal motility.
In your own words, describe what a receptor is. How is a receptor different from a drug?
a receptor is a little structure on or in a cell that “receives” something – maybe a drug
a receptor is different from a drug because it is what the drug is attaching to
Explain what a “ligand” is, and how it is different from a receptor.
a ligand is a chemical that attaches to a receptor, so it is physically distinct from the receptor structure that receives it
How is an ionotropic receptor different from a metabotropic (G-protein-coupled) receptor?
ionotropic receptors form an ion channel, which opens when a ligand binds the receptor
metabotropic receptors are linked to a second messenger, which is activated when the ligand binds the receptor, and this might cause an ion channel to open, but it could have other effects instead
Explain the difference between an agonist and an antagonist. Explain what they have in common.
the difference: an agonist mimics the effect of the endogenous neurotransmitter, whereas an antagonist produces no effect, except to block access to the receptor
what they have in common: they both bind to receptors
