WEEK 1 - PHARMACOLOGY Flashcards
List the target sites for drug action
- Enzymes (e.g. ACE inhibitors, aspirin, neostigmine)
- Carrier Molecules (e.g. flavonoid – Pgp antagonist, digoxin)
- Ion channels (e.g. verapamil - L-type calcium channel antagonist)
- Receptors (e.g. benzodiazepine – GABA receptor agonist, adrenoceptor agonists and antagonists )
- Structural proteins (e.g. Taxol – Tubulin “agonist”)
- DNA (e.g. anti cancer agents like Doxorubicin)
What are receptors?
Protein molecules whose function is to recognise and respond to endogenous chemical signals.
What is meant by dose-response curve?
Dose response curves are typically used to plot the concentration of a drug (usually log) against its “response”
What is an agonist?
Molecule/drug that binds and activates the receptor
What is an affinity?
The tendency of a drug to bind to the receptor
What is Efficacy?
The tendency of a drug to activate the receptor once bound.
What is the difference between a partial agonist and a full agonist?
- If the activation is 100%, namely each time a drug interacts with its target there is a response then the agonist is said to be a “full agonist”
- If the activation is <100%, the agonist is said “partial agonist”. Partial agonists have lower efficacy than full agonists – even with maximal occupancy of receptors.
What is EC50?
Effective concentration. The dose required for an individual to experience 50% of the maximal effect
What is ED50?
Effective dose. The dose for 50% of the population to obtain the therapeutic effect.
What is Potency?
Amount of drug required to produce 50% of its maximal effects.
What is Efficacy?
The maximum therapeutic response that a drug can produce (example: morphine vs buprenorphine)
What is specificity?
Describes the capacity of a drug to cause a particular action in a population
What is Selectivity?
Relates to a drugs ability to target only a selective population i.e. cell/tissue/ signalling pathway, protein etc in preference to others.
What is an antagonist?
Molecule/drug that binds a receptor without activation
What are the main types of antagonism?
- Competitive
- Non-competitive
- Irreversible
What is competitive antagonism - describe this?
- Competitive agonists compete with agonists for the receptor binding site.
- The chemical structure of the agonist and competitive antagonist are often similar (lock and key hypothesis).
- Antagonist binds to receptor in such a way as to prevent agonist binding
- Competitive antagonism is surmountable – additional agonist can overcome the receptor blockade.
What effects does a competitive antagonist have on a dose-response curve?
Addition of a competitive antagonist shifts the dose response curve of the agonist to the right
What is non-competitive antagonism - describe this?
Non-competitive antagonists either bind to a different receptor site
OR
Block the chain of events “post” binding - acting “downstream” of the receptor.
What is irreversible antagonism - describe this?
- Antagonist dissociates from the receptor only very slowly or not at all.
- The antagonist forms covalent bonds with the receptor.
- Irreversible antagonism is insurmountable – additional agonist cannot overcome the receptor blockade.
What is an Inverse agonist?
Drug that reduces the activation of a receptor with constitutive activity (example: GABAA receptor)
Can be regarded as drugs with negative efficacy.
What is IC50 and what is it used for?
- Concentration of antagonist to inhibit 50% of the agonist maximal effect.
- Used to measure antagonist drug potency.
What is Tachyphylaxis (“rapid protection”)?
Reduction in drug tolerance which develops after a short period of repeated dosing (decrease in response). Not common. Often due to a lack of a co-factor.
What is Self-Antagonism?
When a drug becomes antagonistic to its own effects
What are Drug-drug interactions?
“Altered pharmacologic response to one drug caused by the presence of a second drug”
What are the 3 different mechanisms of Drug-drug interactions?
Pharmaceutical – related to physiochemical properties and formulation (chemical or physical incompatibility/interaction)
Pharmacokinetic – related to interactions within ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion)
Pharmacodynamic – related to interactions within receptor signalling (antagonism, synergisms)
What is Summation?
When two drugs are administered together the effect seen is equal to the sum of the individual effects of each drug
What is Potentiation?
When a drug or food increases the effect of another drug, but has no effect when administered alone
What is Synergism?
When two drugs are administered together produce effects that are greater than would be produced if either drug were administered individually or would be seen with summative (additive) effects.
E.g. sulphonamide-trimethoprim (enhanced)
Toxicity: aminoglycosides and furosemide
What is Ki?
( dissociation constant for inhibitor binding)= indicator of enzyme affinity for inhibitor
What are the effects of a competitive enzyme inhibitor?
Increases Km
No effect on Vmax
Amount of inhibition depends on Ki
Example: Captopril-angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (treatment of hypertension)
What are the effects of a non-competitive enzyme inhibitor?
No effect on Km
Decreases Vmax
Example:Aspirin-cyclo-oxygenase (anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic)
How does a competitive enzyme inhibitor affect Ki?
For a competitive inhibitor, the lines converge above the x axis, and the value of [I] where they intersect is -Ki
How does a non-competitive enzyme inhibitor affect Ki?
For a non-competitive inhibitor, the lines converge on x axis, and the value of [I] where they intersect is -Ki
What is Pharmacokinetics (PK)?
What the body does to the drug
What is Pharmacodynamics (PD)?
What the drug does to the body
What are the Enteral routes (directly in the gastrointestinal tract) of drug administration?
- Sublingual
- Swallowing
- rectal
What are the Parenteral routes of drug administration?
- Topical
- Intradermal
- Subcutaneous
- Intramuscular
- Intravascular
- Inhalation
How are drugs absorbed when administered by enteral routes?
- Along the length of the GI-tract
- interaction between gastric juice/physicochemical properties of drugs will decide whether drugs are absorbed in acidified (e.g. stomach) or ~neutral/alkaline (e.g. intestine) compartments (drug design to help the dissolution in high or low pH)
What are the characteristics of drugs that are rapidly absorbed via enteral routes of administration?
a. Low degree of ionization
b. High lipid/water partition in the non ionized form
c. Relatively low Molecular Weight < 1000
d. A biological affinity with transporters/facilitated diffusion (e.g. cephalporins are absorbed by a transporter for dipeptides).
In general which compounds are not absorbed by enteral routes and why?
a. High degree of ionization (ions need specific channels/transporters: Na+ vs. Mg2+)
b. Low lipid/water partition in the non ionized form (flows with the peristaltic mvt & eliminated or needs transporter e.g. glucose)
c. Too large (e.g. chemicals forming precipitate flows with the peristaltic mvt & eliminated).
d. Degraded by specific enzymes (e.g. insulin, epinephrine, histamine,…)
What is first pass metabolism?
If a drug is metabolised BEFORE it reaches the systemic circulation
Where do enzymes act in the liver?
In the liver, enzymes act in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of Liver Cells (hepatocytes)
What is Entero-hepatic circulation?
Parent drug or metabolites may recycle several times before entering the systemic circulation (the drug follows bile salts)
Which group of enzymes oxidate the drug in phase I metabolism?
CYP450
What are the 4 different types of Metabolite activity?
- Detoxification
- Similar activity to drug
- Different activity
- Toxic metabolites
Where are CYPs found in the body?
The majority of CYPs are found in the liver, but certain CYPs are also present in the cell wall of the intestine.
Where are Mammalian CYPs membrane bound?
Mammalian CYPs are membrane bound to the endoplasmic reticulum.
There are many variables between individuals (notion of bioavailability) in enteral routes of drug administration such as???
- e.g. amount of food eaten (age related)
- e.g. peristaltic movement (age related)
- e.g. metabolic rates/organs function (age and size related)
How does age effect drug absorption for enteral routes of administration?
- more chronic illness = more chance to have an adverse reaction
- Elderly: Less proteins & water in the body
- Infant (human): >77% of water (human adult average ~70%)
- pH of the GI-tract may change with age
How does temperature effect drug absorption for enteral routes of administration?
Cold blood animals (e.g. fish)… variable metabolism…depending on the season
What is the advantage of Parenteral routes of drug administration in terms of drug absorption?
The clear advantage is that the first pass metabolism is bypassed.
Describe drug absorption via Topical admin.
- Skin: Local slow & sustained effects (hours to weeks, e.g. patches).
- Eye drops: local effect to renew frequently (washed away rapidly).
- Nasal instillation local systemic effect.
Describe drug absorption via Intradermal admin.
Between skin layers: slow absorption
Describe drug absorption via Subcutaneous admin.
- Faster absorption but fat layer may trap lipid soluble compounds
- Massage increases blood flow and absorption.