Pharmacology

Question 1

What is pharmacology by definition?

Answer 1

The study of mechanisms by which drugs affect the function of a living system.

Question 2

What is the most lethal type of opiate?

Answer 2

Fentanyl.

Question 3

Why is fentanyl more dangerous than heroin and morphine?

Answer 3

Fentanyl is more than 100x more potent and therefore much easier to overdose.

Question 4

What is change in a morphine molecule occurs to form heroin?

Answer 4

Its two hydroxyl groups are substituted to MeCOO

Question 5

What is does “Me” mean in a chemical formula?

Answer 5

Methyl

Question 6

What does meso mean in a chemical context?

Answer 6

A compound is an isomer of another with the same structural formula but is not superimposable and has a plane of symmetry.

Question 7

What is a key affect of opiates which make them very difficult to quit?

Answer 7

Lack of intake will cause extreme withdrawal affects e.g discomfort.

Question 8

What is the term for opiates that form naturally within the body?

Answer 8

Endogenous opioids.

Question 9

Why do opiates effect people?

Answer 9

They interact with receptors for endogenous opiates, due to sharing aspects of their structure.

Question 10

What are the 3 main sources of drugs?

Answer 10

Synthetic chemicals, Plant Chemicals, Biopharmaceuticals

Question 11

What is the difference between chemicals produced synthetically and through biopharmaceuticals?

Answer 11

chemicals produced synthetically are done solely via chemical synthesis whereas biopharmaceuticals uses living organisms to produce the desired chemicals.

Question 12

What is a drug?

Answer 12

A chemical (of known structure) which when administered to a living organism produces a biological effect.

Question 13

What types of chemicals are most commons used as to produce small molecule drugs?

Answer 13

Synthetic chemicals and plant chemicals

Question 14

What harmful chemicals can be considered drugs under the definition of drug?

Answer 14

Toxins

Question 15

What is a medicine?

Answer 15

A chemical preparation that usually contains one or more drugs administered to produce a therapeutic effect.

Question 16

What compounds other than drugs are often in medicine?

Answer 16

Excipients, stabilisers, solvents.

Question 17

What is gene therapy?

Answer 17

The addition of genetic material (via engineered viruses) to cells to prevent or alleviate or cure diseases.

Question 18

First Generation of drugs:

Answer 18

Copies of endogenous proteins produced by recombinant DNA tech

Question 19

Second Generation of drugs:

Answer 19

proteins are engineered to improve performance

Question 20

Why are biologic drugs difficult to get to the CNS?

Answer 20

They can’t/struggle to pass the blood/brain barrier.

Question 21

What are therapeutic antibodies:

Answer 21

Antibodies that are engineered to contains human sequences (engineered heavy chains to prevent rejection) -> light chains/ binding variable region is designed to recognise/prevent the action of a specific region

Question 22

What is the issue with monoclonal antibodies as treatment:

Answer 22

Very expensive

Question 23

What are the 4 main categories of protein affected by drugs?

Answer 23

Receptors, enzymes, transporters, and ion channels

Question 24

What is the role of receptors?

Answer 24

To recognise endogenous chemical signals (external chemical cue) to respond to changes in the internal environment.

Question 25

How are receptors classified and identified?

Answer 25

By their structure, pharmacology, and signalling mechanism.

Question 26

What are macromolecules other than proteins referred to as?

Answer 26

"Drug targets"

Question 27

What is paramount to the control of drug safety?

Answer 27

The concentration/dosage of a drug to control the extent of its affects and potential side effects.

Question 28

Why do drugs have side effects?

Answer 28

Drugs aren't completely specific and-so can interact with other unintended drug targets.

Question 29

Why does the malfunction and loss of drug receptors lead to disease?

Answer 29

Loss/malfunction of receptors can lead to a loss in response to certain endogenous proteins.

Question 30

Purpose of antagonist drugs:

Answer 30

To prevent endogenous mediators from exerting action within the biological system.

Question 31

What receptors do Opiates act on?

Answer 31

Opioid G protein coupled receptors -> located in the brain, and gut)

Question 32

Why can overdose of opiates lead to asphyxiation:

Answer 32

They can interact with breathing centres and disrupt CO2 sensing -> leading to a low [O2] in the blood.

Question 33

What is the endogenous proteins that bind to the same receptors are opiates?

Answer 33

met-enkephalin

Question 34

What drug is an antagonist used to treat opiate overdose?

Answer 34

Naloxone

Question 35

What are the two types of drug that interact with ion channels?

Answer 35

Blockers and modulators

Question 36

What do blocker drugs do?

Answer 36

Block the permeation across ion channels

Question 37

What do modulator drugs do?

Answer 37

Increase/decrease the opening the probability of an ion channel.

Question 38

What is Lidocaine:

Answer 38

Small molecule voltage-gated Na+ channel blocker that is used as a pain killer

Question 39

How does Lidocaine operate as a pain killer>

Answer 39

Lidocaine blocks voltage-gates Na+ ion channels which prevents generation of action potentials.

Question 40

What type of drug is Valium (benzodiazepine):

Answer 40

A modulator that increases the activity of GABA-A ligand gates ion channels.

Question 41

What are the 3 types of drugs that effect enzymer?

Answer 41

Inhibitors, False substrates, and prodrugs.

Question 42

Why do some drugs cause "drowsiness"?

Answer 42

They may be able to block receptors or modulate ion channels within the CNS, by being able to pass the blood/brain barrier.

Question 43

How can you prevent/reduce drugs from making the patient drowsy?

Answer 43

By making it a larger macromolecule unable to pass the blood-brain barrier, preventing it from interfering with the CNS.

Question 44

What are examples of drugs that affect enzymes?

Answer 44

Aspirin, Viagra, and paracetamol