lec3

• What is the definition of pharmacology?

  Pharmacology is the study of what drugs do to a living organism and how they do it.
• What are the key components to measure the action of a drug at a receptor?

  Key components include drug potency, affinity, dose-response curves, and saturation curves.
• How are drug concentrations expressed?

  Drug concentrations are expressed in molarity, either in mol/L or M.
• What does one mole correspond to in terms of molecules?

  One mole corresponds to $6.022 \times 10^{23}$ molecules, known as Avogadro's number.
• What are the standard prefixes for drug concentrations?

  • 1 M = 1 mol/L (molar)
  • 0.001 M = 1 mmol/L (millimolar)
  • 0.000001 M = 1 µmol/L (micromolar)
  • 0.000000001 M = 1 nmol/L (nanomolar)
• Why do drug concentrations not use prefixes above mol/L?

  Drug concentrations do not use prefixes above mol/L because drugs are unlikely to be used at such high concentrations.
• What does pharmacology include in its study?

  Pharmacology includes the study of drug interactions with specific receptors and off-target effects (side effects).
• What does affinity indicate in pharmacology?

  Affinity indicates the strength of the bond between a ligand and its receptor.
• How can affinity be determined?

  Affinity can be determined using ligand binding experiments.
• What is generated to study the affinity of a ligand for its receptor?

  A saturation curve is generated to study the affinity of a ligand for its receptor.
• What does a saturation curve measure?

  A saturation curve measures how tightly a ligand binds to a receptor.
• What does $B_{max}$ represent in a saturation curve?


  $B_{max}$ represents the maximum binding capacity where all receptors are occupied by a ligand.
• How can you determine which drug has the highest affinity for a receptor?

  By comparing the saturation curves of drugs acting at the same receptor.
• What does a lower $K_d$ value indicate about a drug's affinity?


  A lower $K_d$ value indicates a higher affinity for the receptor.
• What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist?

  An agonist has affinity for its receptor and activates it, while an antagonist has affinity but does not activate it.
• What factors influence the range of possible responses to an agonist?

  Factors include the receptor type, receptor location, and level of expression.
• How is the potency of a ligand studied?

  Potency is studied by generating a concentration-response curve.
• What does the concentration-response curve measure?

  The concentration-response curve measures the percentage of response to varying agonist concentrations.
• What does $E_{max}$ represent in a concentration-response curve?


  $E_{max}$ represents the maximum effect or response achieved by the drug.
• What does $EC_{50}$ indicate in pharmacology?


  $EC_{50}$ indicates the effective concentration of an agonist producing 50% of the maximum response.
• How is potency defined in pharmacology?

  Potency is defined as the agonist affinity plus the ability to trigger a response.
• What can be inferred if two agonists acting at the same receptor have different $EC_{50}$ values?


  The agonist with the lower $EC_{50}$ is more potent than the one with the higher $EC_{50}$.
• What does it mean if two agonists reach the same maximum amplitude of response?

  It means that both agonists can achieve the same maximum effect despite differences in potency.
• What does it indicate if less of agonist "W" is required to obtain $EC_{50}$ compared to agonist "Z"?


  It indicates that agonist "W" is more potent than agonist "Z" at that receptor.
• What does it mean if agonist "W" can reach a higher maximum response amplitude than agonist "H"?

  It means that agonist "W" can produce a stronger effect than agonist "H" at the same receptor.
• What does it indicate if both agonists have the same potency ($EC_{50}$)?


  It indicates that both agonists can produce the same effect at the same receptor concentration.
• At what levels can the effects of a drug be measured?

  Effects can be measured at the molecular, cellular, organ, and body levels.
• How can a drug induce different types of responses?

  A drug can induce different responses depending on the receptor, cell, tissue, or organ it targets.