Other Drug Targets & Dose-Response Curves

These flashcards cover key concepts related to drug targets, dose-response relationships, and pharmacodynamics to aid in exam preparation.

Dose-Response Curve

A graphical representation showing the relationship between the dose of a drug and the magnitude of its effect.

Pharmacodynamics (PD)

The study of the effects of drugs on the body and how they exert their effects.

ED50

The median effective dose; the dose at which 50% of the population responds to the drug.

TD50

The toxic dose at which 50% of the population experiences toxic effects.

LD50

Lethal dose at which 50% of the population dies from the drug.

Therapeutic Index (TI)

The ratio of the dose that produces toxicity to the dose that produces the desired therapeutic effect; a measure of drug safety.

Graded Dose-Response Curve

A curve that represents the response of an organism to varying doses of a drug, showing gradual change.

Quantal Dose-Response Curve

A curve that shows the percentage of individuals in a population that respond to a given dose of a drug.

Binding Affinity

The degree to which a drug binds to its receptor or target.

Efficacy

The maximum effect that a drug can produce, regardless of dose.

Potency

The amount of drug needed to produce a given effect; a more potent drug requires a lower dose.

Spare Receptors

When a maximal biological response occurs without the need for 100% receptor occupancy.

Agonist

A substance that activates a receptor to produce a biological response.

Antagonist

A substance that blocks or dampens a biological response by binding to a receptor but not activating it.

Partial Agonism

A scenario where a drug binds to a receptor but produces a less than maximal response compared to a full agonist.

Inverse Agonism

A substance that produces an effect opposite to that of an agonist by stabilizing the receptor in its inactive form.

Competitive Antagonism

A type of antagonism where the antagonist competes with the agonist for binding to the receptor.

Non-Competitive Antagonism

A type of antagonism where the antagonist reduces the efficacy of the agonist without competing for the same binding site.

Hormesis

A phenomenon where a substance produces a beneficial effect at low doses and toxic effects at high doses.