Pharmacodynamics Flashcards
what are the protein targets for drugs?
enzymes, receptors, ion channels and carrier channels
why are proteins good targets for drugs?
due to having a narrow specificity as they are very intricately folded
how can an inhibitor cause an increase of biological availability of a drug?
if the inhibitor binds to an enzyme that catalyses the breakdown of the drug then less of the drug will be broken down so more present in the body
what are examples of monamine oxidase transmitters?
dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin
what is MAO designed to do?
prevent constant release of neurotransmitter
how is MAO able to reduce the level of neurotransmitter in the synaptic cleft?
a transport protein will pump the neurotransmitter back into the pre-synaptic cleft and MAO will then convert this to inactive products
what can MAO inhibitors be used to treat?
depression as if MAO is inhibited then it will not be able to breakdown the neurotransmitter so more will be present in order to bind to receptors and cause effect
what does Ach do?
it is a neurotransmitter that binds to nicotinic receptors
what is the effect of inhibiting AchE?
this prevents as much Ach from being broken down so that more is able to bind to nicotonic receptors
what can AchE inhibitors be used to treat?
donepezil is used to treat Alzheimers as preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine results in better communication between nerve cells
how does AchE inhibitors help myasthenia gravis?
drugs such as neostigmine prevents breakdown of Ach so greater stimulation of nicotinic receptors
what does ACE do? what effect does this have?
converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II which then leads to an increased blood pressure
what can ACE inhibitors be used to treat?
hypertension and heart failure due to blocking the production of angiotensin II so blood pressure levels do not increase
what is HMG CoAR?
HMG-CoA reductase, which converts HMG-CoA to mevalonic acid which is then converted to cholestrol
what kind of drugs inhibit HMG-CoAR and why?
statins as they inhibit the enzyme and therefore result in reduced cholesterol production for diseases such as atherosclerosis
what are COX inhibitors?
cyclooxyrgenase inhibitors
how is COX produced and what does this cause?
cell membrane damage liberates arachidonic acid to be converted to prostaglandins via COX
why might the production of prostaglandins want to be reduced?
because they are associated with inflammation and pain