Drug Specificity and Selective Toxicity: Pharmacology Notes

Summary

Drug specificity and selective toxicity are key concepts in pharmacology. Students learn how drugs interact with cells and tissues, and how to understand the difference between therapeutic effects and poisoning.

Drug Specificity and Selective Toxicity

Drugs vary in how specific they are to certain cells or tissues. Selective toxicity is when a drug has useful therapeutic effects but also toxic effects. Poisons have only harmful effects.

Molecular Features of Drug Action

Drugs need specific molecular features to interact with receptors. Acetylcholine's structure and shape changes affect its binding to different receptors.

Pharmacogenetics

Pharmacogenetics studies how heredity affects drug responses. It helps explain abnormal drug responses and can guide drug development. Pharmacogenetic defects are usually silent until a drug is taken.

Adverse Drug Reactions

Drugs can have harmful effects, some of which are only found after they are widely used. The thalidomide disaster highlighted the need for better testing methods.

Key terms

Selective toxicity

When a drug has both therapeutic and toxic effects.

Pharmacogenetics

The study of how genes affect drug responses.

Adverse drug reactions

Harmful effects that drugs can have on the body.

Receptor

A molecule on a cell that a drug binds to.

Acetylcholine

A neurotransmitter with specific molecular features for receptor binding.

Thalidomide

A drug that caused birth defects, leading to stricter testing methods.

Questions this document helps with

• How do drugs interact with cells and tissues?
• What is the difference between therapeutic effects and poisoning?
• How does pharmacogenetics affect drug responses?

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