Introduction to Pharmacology Quiz

Introduction to Pharmacology

• Pharmacology studies drugs and their effects on living organisms, focusing on the interaction of chemical substances with cells, tissues, and the entire organism.
• Drugs are used to counteract diseases, like infertility, but also to understand normal and abnormal bodily functions.

Learning Objectives

• The study includes definitions and explanations of pharmacological terms.
• This includes: pharmacology, drugs and receptors, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacogenomics, drug nomenclature, drug classification, sources of drugs, and sources of drug information.

Drugs

• A drug is a natural product, chemical substance, or pharmaceutical preparation administered to humans or animals for diagnosing or treating illnesses.
• Drugs can include biological substances such as monoclonal antibodies, hormones, neurotransmitters, and peptides.
• Drugs can be stimulatory or inhibitory.

Drugs (continued)

• Drugs, alongside hormones, neurotransmitters, autocoids and toxins, facilitate information transfer to cells via interaction with specialized receptor molecules.
• Drugs interact with biological systems in a way that mimics, resembles, or influences the natural biological chemicals.
• Drug actions can result from their acidic or basic properties (e.g., antacids), ability to denature proteins (e.g., astringents), osmotic properties (e.g., laxatives, diuretics), or physicochemical interactions with membrane lipids (e.g., anesthetics).

Receptors

• Most drugs bind to specific receptors to produce a response.
• Binding occurs through precise physicochemical interactions between specific groups on the drug and the receptor.

Pharmacokinetics

• Pharmacokinetics describes how the body affects drugs.
• It examines the processes that determine drug concentration in body fluids and tissues over time.
• The magnitude of the pharmacological effect depends on the drug's concentration at the site of action.
• Pharmacokinetics encompasses absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).

Pharmacodynamics

• Pharmacodynamics defines how drugs affect the body.
• This involves drug interactions with cellular components like receptors and enzymes, affecting the physiological function of organs.
• Pharmacodynamics considerations include binding, dose-response relationships, effects, signal transduction, and mechanisms of action.

Pharmacogenetics & Pharmacotherapeutics

• Pharmacogenetics examines unusual drug responses due to genetic differences between individuals.
• Responses might not be seen in the global population, including toxicities, allergies, or reduced/enhanced responses to certain drugs due to inherited traits.
• Pharmacotherapeutics is the medical science of using drugs to treat diseases.
• Pharmacology provides a basis for pharmacotherapeutics by explaining drug mechanisms and effects on the body and the relationship between dose and response.

Drug Nomenclature

• Chemical names describe the drug's chemical makeup (e.g., acetylsalicylic acid).
• Non-proprietary/generic names are used by scientific bodies (e.g., Aspirin) and are suitable for health professionals.
• United States Adopted Names (USAN) are generic names utilized in the US.
• Proprietary/brand names are trademarks assigned by manufacturers (e.g., Disprin, Ecosprin).

Drug Classification

• Prescription drugs require a doctor's order (e.g., antimicrobials, anti-psychotics).
• Over-the-counter(OTC) drugs can be purchased without a prescription (e.g., paracetamol, antacids).

Sources of Drugs

• Plants provide alkaloids (e.g., morphine, atropine, quinine), cardiac glycosides (e.g., digoxin).
• Animals produce insulin (anti-diabetic), heparin (anticoagulant).
• Minerals like calcium carbonate, magnesium sulfate, and iron are used as drugs.
• Microorganisms yield drugs such as penicillin (antibacterial), and streptomycin (anti-tubercular).

Sources of Drugs (continued)

• Semisynthetic sources: Hydromorphone (opioid analgesic)
• Synthetic Sources: Paracetamol (antipyretic), Aspirin (NSAID & anti-platelet)
• Genetic engineering: Human insulin, Hepatitis B vaccine, Human growth hormone.

Sources of Drug Information

• Pharmacopoeias are official books of approved drugs (e.g., USP, BP, IP).
• Formularies are booklets that list drug indications, doses, forms, precautions, adverse effects, and toxicity (e.g., BNF, National Formulary of India).
• Martindale is a comprehensive drug reference guide.