PHCL 308: Pharmacodynamics and Chemotherapy 1 Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the basic principles of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, the autonomic nervous system, and asthma based on the PHCL 308 course material.

Pharmacology

The branch of science that studies drugs and their interactions with living organisms, focusing on how substances affect body functions through chemical actions.

Clinical Pharmacology

The study of drugs used in humans for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.

Toxicology

A branch of pharmacology that studies the harmful or poisonous effects of drugs and chemicals on living organisms, including the detection, prevention, and treatment of poisoning.

Chemotherapy

The treatment of systemic infections or cancers using drugs that selectively destroy disease-causing organisms or malignant cells while causing little or no harm to normal body cells.

Drug

Any chemical substance that produces a change in the biological function of the body; or per WHO, any substance used to modify or explore physiological systems or pathological states for the benefit of the recipient.

Pharmacokinetics (PK)

Defined as "what the body does to the drug," involving the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).

Pharmacodynamics (PD)

Defined as "what the drug does to the body," involving drug effects, mechanism of action, therapeutic effects, and side effects.

Receptor

A specific molecule in the body that regulates physiological functions and binds with drugs to produce an effect.

Dosage Form

The physical form in which a drug is prepared and administered to a patient, such as a tablet, capsule, syrup, or injection.

Excipients

Inactive ingredients added to drug formulations to improve stability, enhance taste, increase absorption, or facilitate delivery.

Chemical Name

A drug nomenclature that describes the drug's exact chemical structure, often long and difficult to use in prescribing (e.g., $1-(\text{Isopropylamino-3-(1-naphthyloxy)propan-2-ol})$).

Non-Proprietary Name

The official, generic, or approved name used universally by healthcare professionals, such as Paracetamol or Amoxicillin.

Proprietary Name

The brand or trade name given by a manufacturer and protected by trademark, such as Panadol for paracetamol.

Essential Drugs

Medicines that meet priority healthcare needs of the population, selected based on efficacy, safety, quality, public health relevance, and cost-effectiveness.

First-pass metabolism

The process by which the liver metabolizes a portion of a drug absorbed from the intestine before it reaches the systemic circulation, thereby reducing its bioavailability.

Bioavailability ($F$)

The fraction or percentage of a drug that reaches the systemic circulation unchanged after administration.

Bioequivalence

When two drug products have the same bioavailability and reach peak blood concentration at similar times.

Therapeutic Equivalence

When two drugs produce the same clinical effect when given in the same dose.

Passive Diffusion

The most common method of drug absorption where drugs move from high to low concentration without requiring energy or carrier proteins.

Active Transport

The movement of drugs through special carrier proteins requiring energy ($ATP$), which can move drugs against a concentration gradient.

$$pKa$$

The $pH$ at which $50\%$ of a drug is ionized and $50\%$ is non-ionized.

First-Order Kinetics

Metabolism where the rate is proportional to drug concentration, resulting in a constant fraction of the drug being removed per unit time.

Zero-Order Kinetics

Metabolism that occurs when enzymes are saturated, resulting in a constant amount of drug being removed per unit time regardless of concentration (e.g., Ethanol).

Drug Screening

The process of testing a drug candidate through experiments to determine its activity, effectiveness, selectivity, and safety across molecular, cellular, and animal levels.

Phase I Clinical Trial

Tests conducted in $25\text{ to }50$ healthy volunteers to assess initial safety, tolerability, and the dose-effect relationship.

Phase II Clinical Trial

Tests conducted in $100\text{ to }200$ patients with the target disease to evaluate the drug's efficacy and further safety.

Phase III Clinical Trial

Large-scale testing in hundreds to thousands of patients to confirm safety and efficacy data required for regulatory approval.

NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control; the regulatory body responsible for evaluating and approving drugs for marketing in Nigeria.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

The system that controls involuntary body functions such as heart rate, digestion, and respiration, divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.

Sympathetic Division

The thoracolumbar division of the ANS responsible for the "fight or flight" response, increasing heart rate and blood pressure.

Parasympathetic Division

The craniosacral division of the ANS responsible for "rest and digest" activities, promoting energy conservation.

Acetylcholine (ACh)

The primary neurotransmitter used by all autonomic preganglionic neurons and the main neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic system.

Norepinephrine

The main neurotransmitter of most sympathetic postganglionic neurons.

Choline Acetyltransferase (ChAT)

The enzyme responsible for the synthesis of Acetylcholine from Acetyl-CoA and Choline.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE)

The main enzyme responsible for the rapid breakdown of Acetylcholine into Choline and Acetate in the synapse.

Vesamicol

A drug that blocks the transport of Acetylcholine into vesicles, inhibiting its storage.

Miosis

The constriction of the pupil, often caused by the contraction of the pupillary constrictor muscle via muscarinic cholinomimetics.

Asthma

A syndrome characterized by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial smooth muscle to various stimuli, leading to cough, dyspnea, and wheezing.

Extrinsic Asthma

Allergic or atopic asthma triggered by environmental allergens (pollen, eggs, etc.), usually starting in childhood and mediated by $IgE$.

Intrinsic Asthma

Non-allergic asthma triggered by non-specific irritants such as smoke, cold air, dust, or psychological stress, with no clear genetic basis.