Lecture notes from Imperial College London, Medical Biosciences BSc, 2nd year, pharmacology module.
Phar 1 module on introduction to pharmacology with pharmacodynamics:
learning outcomes:
- LO1 Pharmacodynamics: Define what is meant by a ‘drug’ and a ‘drug target site’.
- LO2 T...
Intro to Pharmacodynamics
- Pharmacology: how chemical agents (drugs) influence the function of living systems
- Physiology: how the different body systems function picks the
drug
- Pharmacodynamics: what the drug does to the body
~
- Pharmacokinetics: what the body does to the drug &
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Drug targets
- drugs bind to a specific target (proteins): their activation can be enhanced or blocked
=> receptors (ex: nicotine binds and activates nicotinic acetylcholine receptor)
=> enzymes (ex: aspirin binds cyclooxygenase and blocks production of prostaglandins)
=> ion channels (ex: anaesthetics block sodium ion channels: prevent nerve conduction)
=> carrier proteins (ex: anti-depressant Prozac blocks serotonin carrier proteins)
Specificity (selectivity)
- drug is an effective therapeutic agent IF high degree of specificity for target (lock/key analogy)
- structural similarities make complete specificity difficult: even when high specificity, can have some
degree of specificity with other targets => side-effects
- endogenous = originate from within the organism // exogenous = originate from outside
- specificity is dependant on dose
Drug dose
- ex: if drug is 50 times more selective for target A compared to B
=> effects at B when increase 50 times the dose of when we first start seeing effects at A
- low dose = more specific effect
- difficult to predict how much drug will arrive at target
Therapeutic windows and toxicity
- therapeutic window = therapeutic index = compare dose that produces therapeutic effect with
dose that produces a toxic effect = TD50/ED50
=> safety of the drug: the higher the safer
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