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Principles > Pharmacology > Flashcards

Pharmacology Flashcards

1
Q

What is pharmacodynamics?

A

What a drug does to the body (biological effects and mechanism of action)

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2
Q

What is pharmacokinetics?

A

What the body does to a drug (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs and their metabolites)

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3
Q

What kinds of regulatory proteins do drugs bind to?

A 
Enzymes
Carrier molecules (transporters and pumps)
Ion channels
Receptors
RNA & DNA
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4
Q

What is an agonist?

A

A drug that binds to a receptor to produce or enhance a cellular response

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5
Q

What is an antagonist?

A

A drug that blocks the actions of an agonist

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6
Q

What is affinity?

A

The strength of association between ligand and receptor

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7
Q

What is efficacy?

A

The ability of an agonist to evoke a cellular resonse

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8
Q

What is the relationship/shape of the graph between concentration of agonist and % response? (On a linear plot)

A

Hyperbolic

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9
Q

What is EC50 or ED50?

A

The concentration of agonist that elicits a half maximal response

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10
Q

What is the relationship/shape of the graph between concentration of agonist and % response? (On a semi-logarithmic plot)

A

Sigmoidal

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11
Q

Why is it useful to plot concentration against response graphs on a semi-logarithmic plot?

A

To get a more accurate determination of ED50

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12
Q

What are the four factors which control drug absorption?

A

Solubility
Chemical stability
Lipid to water partition coefficient (rate of diffusion increases with the lipid solubility of the drug)
Degree of ionisation

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13
Q

Many drugs exist as weak acids or weak bases existing in both ionised (A-, BH+) and unionised (AH, B) forms. Which forms diffuse readily across the lipid bilayer?

A

Only unionised forms

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14
Q

What is the pKa of a drug?

A

The pH at which 50% of the drug is ionised

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15
Q

How can the proportion of unionised drugs be determined?

A

Henderson-Hasselbalch equation

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16
Q

Where could weak acids be absorbed?

A

Stomach - pH of stomach lumen facilitates absorption

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17
Q

Where are bases absorbed?

A

Small intestine

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18
Q

Are weak or strong acids and bases absorbed better?

A

Weak acids and bases are absorbed better

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19
Q

Where does the majority of absorption occur?

A 
Small intestine 
(Even weak acids despite pH of stomach lumen being ideal for absorption)
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20
Q

What is the definition of systemic availability?

A

Amount of drug in systemic circulation/amount absorbed

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21
Q

What is the systemic availability of IV drugs?

A

100%

22
Q

What are the enteral routes of drug administration?

A

Oral
Sublingual
Rectal

23
Q

What are the parenteral routes of drug administration?

A

Intravenous
Intramuscular/subcutaneous
Inhalational
Topical

24
Q

Drugs administered by which routes pass through the liver?

A

Oral

Some of the drug administered in rectal route will pass through liver

25
Q

Drugs administered by which routes enter the systemic circulation?

A 
Buccal/sublingual
Transdermal/subcutaneous
Intravenous 
Rectal
Intramuscular
26
Q

Which kind of drugs move between fluid compartments/across membranes readily?

A

Unionised

27
Q

Are drugs able to move freely by diffusion bound to protein?

A

No

28
Q

What is the volume of distribution (Vd)?

A

The apparent volume in which a drug is dissolved

Dose/plasma concentration

29
Q

What does a Vd of <5L imply?

A

The drug is retained in the vascular compartment

30
Q

What does a Vd of <15L imply?

A

The drug is restricted to extracellular water?

31
Q

What does a Vd of >15L imply?

A

The drug has been distributed throughout total body water e.g. highly lipid soluble drugs like ethanol

32
Q

What kind of drugs will not cross the phospholipid bilayer?

A

Polar

33
Q

What is the equation for initial concentration (Co)?

A

D/Vd
(Dose, D
Volume of distribution, Vd)

34
Q

What is first order kinetics?

A

Where the rate of elimination is directly proportional to drug concentration

35
Q

What is zero order kinetics?

A

The rate of elimination remains constant, independent of plasma concentration

36
Q

How can the rate of elimination be calculated?

A

Cp x Cl
(Plasma concentration, Cp
Clearance, Cl)

37
Q

How can the rate of elimination be calculated from a graph?

A

Given by the tangent to the curve

The higher the plasma concentration, the steeper the curve

38
Q

What are the units for rate of elimination?

A

mg/min

39
Q

What is CSS?

A

Plasma steady-state concentration

40
Q

How many half lives (roughly) does it take for a drug to reach CSS?

A

5

41
Q

Which surface of the cell membrane has a negative potential?

A

Inner surface

42
Q

Which direction does sodium move across a membrane?

A

Into the cell

43
Q

Which direction does potassium move across a membrane?

A

Out of the cell

44
Q

What is the resting potential of the cell membrane?

A

-70mV

45
Q

What causes the upstroke of the neuronal action potential?

A

Opening of Na+ channels causing influx of Na+ and rapid depolarisation

46
Q

What causes the downstroke of the neuronal action potential?

A

K+ opening and Na+ closing

47
Q

What is the absolute refractory period?

A

The period of the action potential in which no stimulus, however strong, can illicit a second action potential

48
Q

What is the relative refractory period?

A

The period in which a stronger than normal stimulus may illicit a second action potential

49
Q

How does the action potential move along an unmyelinated nerve fibre?

A

Smoothly & continuously

50
Q

How does the action potential move along a myelinated nerve fibre?

A

Jumps from one node of Ranvier to the next along the myelinated sheath

Principles (8 decks)

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