PHRM 6200: Introduction to Pharmacology & Pharmacodynamics Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on core concepts of pharmacology, pharmacodynamics vs. pharmacokinetics, drug targets, and receptor mechanisms from PHRM 6200.

Pharmacology

The scientific study of how drugs produce biochemical and physiological effects in living organisms.

Pharmacodynamics (PD)

The study of what a drug does to the body, including how it interacts with its receptor or target, the concentration-response relationship, and its therapeutic and adverse effects.

Pharmacokinetics (PK)

The study of what the body does to the drug, encompassing absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) and determining drug concentration changes over time.

Pharmaceutics

The discipline of pharmaceutical sciences focused on drug formulation, stability, delivery, and dosage-form design.

Physiology

The study of normal cell, tissue, and biological body functions under non-diseased conditions.

Pathophysiology

The study of functional changes and disordered biological processes caused by injury or disease.

Ibuprofen

A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with formula $\text{C}_{13}\text{H}_{18}\text{O}_2$ that acts as a reversible, competitive, nonselective inhibitor of COX-1 and COX-2.

Drug Target

A biological macromolecule, primarily a protein, that interacts with a drug to produce or modify a biological response.

Pharmacophore

The essential set of chemical features required for target recognition and binding by a drug.

Enzyme

A biological protein catalyst that increases reaction rates by lowering required activation energy without being consumed during the reaction.

Receptor

A protein that selectively recognizes and binds specific ligands or drugs to convert an extracellular signal into an intracellular response.

G-protein-coupled Receptors (GPCRs)

Membrane receptors composed of seven transmembrane $\alpha$-helices that couple to intracellular G proteins and are targeted by approximately $30\%$ of marketed drugs.

Ligand

Any molecule, including endogenous molecules like neurotransmitters or hormones as well as synthetic drugs, that binds specifically to a receptor.

Full Agonist

A ligand type that binds to and activates a receptor to produce the maximum biological response.

Partial Agonist

A ligand type that binds to and activates a receptor to produce a submaximal biological response.

Antagonist

A ligand type that binds to a receptor without activating it, thereby blocking agonist action.

Inverse Agonist

A ligand type that binds to a receptor and reduces its constitutive (baseline) activity.

Competitive Ligands

Ligands that bind directly to the same binding site on a receptor as the endogenous ligand or agonist.

Allosteric Ligands

Ligands that bind to a distinct site on a receptor other than the primary active site to modify receptor activity.

Noncompetitive Inhibitors

Inhibitors that reduce receptor signaling in a manner that cannot be fully overcome by increasing agonist concentration.

Endogenous Ligands

Molecules naturally produced in the body, such as acetylcholine, norepinephrine, and histamine, that bind to receptors to initiate signaling pathways.