VALLEY PHARK/PHARMD Flashcards
What is a dose-response curve?
A dose-response curve depicts the relationship between the dose of a drug administered (x- axis) and the resulting pharmacologic effect (y- axis).
x-axis of the dose-response curve?
Dose of drug administered.
y-axis of the dose-response curve?
Pharmacologic effect
Dose-response curves are characterized by differences in
(I) potency, (2) slope,
(3) efficacy, and (4) individual variability.
Describe how potency of a drug is depicted by the dose-response curve.
The potency of a drug is depicted by its location along the dose axis (usually the x- axis) of the dose-response curve.
Increased affinity of a drug for its receptor shifts the curve to the
left
Decreased affinity of a drug for its receptor shifts the
curve to the
right.
Drug potency and receptor affinity are______ related-
directly
MNEMONIC left shift.
Left-shift = Less drug required:;: More potent
A more potent drug has a _______for its receptor
greater affinity
What does the slope of a dose-response curve reveal about the drug?
The slope of the dose-response curve indicates the number of receptors that must be occupied (bound) before a drug effect occurs
A steep dose-response curve slope means that
a majority of the receptors must be bound before a relevant effect occurs.
Drugs classes with steep slopes
Neuromuscular blocking drugs and inhaled anesthetics dose-response curves have steep slopes.
Define drug efficacy. Which feature of a dose-response curve indicates the efficacy of a drug?
Efficacy is a measure of the intrinsic ability of a drug to produce a given physiologic or clinical effect.
The maximal effect of a drug reflects its
intrinsic activity, or efficacy.
A drug’s efficacy is depicted by
the plateau of the dose-response curve.
A higher plateau correlates with
with a greater efficacy
Describe how the presence of a competitive antagonist would alter a dose-response curve of a drug.
The presence of a competitive antagonist (inhibitor) would shift the dose-response curve to the right, with no change in the efficacy (plateau) or slope.
The rightward shift caused by competitive antagonist (inhibitor) is caused by
competition for the same number of receptors
Describe how the presence of a noncompetitive
antagonist would alter the dose-response curve of a drug.
The presence of a noncompetitive antagonist (inhibitor) would shift the curve rightward and downward, with a decrease in the slope of the curve.