How the chemical structure of a drug helps determine its actions?

The chemical structure of a drug determines its physicochemical properties, and further determinates its absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME/Tox) properties, and ultimately affect the pharmacological activity of the drug molecule.

What do you mean by pharmacological action?

The term “mechanism of action” is a pharmacological term commonly used when discussing medications or drugs. It refers to how the drug works on a molecular level in the body.

How we can identify the target in medicinal chemistry?

Target Identification & Characterization Target identification and characterization begins with identifying the function of a possible therapeutic target (gene/protein) and its role in the disease. Identification of the target is followed by characterization of the molecular mechanisms addressed by the target.

What are the four key pharmacokinetic processes that determine the concentration of a drug at its site of action in the body?

Think of pharmacokinetics as a drug’s journey through the body, during which it passes through four different phases: absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).

Why should these groups exist in the structure of drugs?

Most of the effective medicines contains carboxylic group. They are involved in specific charge-charge interactions and are thus often critical for the binding of agents to their targets. If both functional groups occur within one molecule, we have one of nature’s most essential building blocks, amino acids.

What are the basic principle of drug actions?

Principles of drug action encompass three major topic areas: drug administration, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics.

What are pharmacological interventions?

Pharmacological interventions can be involved in different stages of treating alcohol misuse and its consequences. Medication is recognised as an adjunct to psychosocial treatment to provide an optimum treatment package to improve physical and mental health (Casswell & Thamarangsi, 2009).

Why is it important to identify a drug target to treat a disease?

Hence, systematic identification of drug-target interactions (DTIs) is essential in drug discovery, which could help maximize therapeutic effects while minimizing safety problems (Wu, Li, Liu, & Tang, 2018).

What is meant by lead compound in medicinal chemistry?

In medicine, a chemical compound that shows promise as a treatment for a disease and may lead to the development of a new drug. Once a lead compound has been found, the chemical structure is used as a starting point to make a drug that has the most benefits and the least harms.

What determines pharmacokinetics?

Pharmacokinetics refers to the movement of drugs into, through and out of the body. The type of response of an individual to a particular drug depends on the inherent pharmacological properties of the drug at its site of action.

Why is it important to understand pharmacokinetics?

Applying pharmacokinetic principles to individual patients allows medical professionals to better understand the physical and chemical properties of drugs and how the responses correlate with the body.

What is a typical drug molecule made of?

A typical drug molecule consists of a combination of chemical rings, chains, and functional groups. Chemical rings represent an important portion of the drug structures. A brief look at the best-selling drugs in 20048 ( Table 1) gives a better idea of the importance of this class of chemicals. Table 1.

Is drug structure a major determinant of absorption?

Derek G. Waller BSc (HONS), DM, MBBS (HONS), FRCP, Anthony P. Sampson MA, PhD, FHEA, FBPhS, in Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (Fifth Edition), 2018 Drug structure is a major determinant of absorption.

How is a drug absorbed from the gut?

Drugs need to be lipid-soluble to be absorbed from the gut. Highly polar acids and bases tend to be absorbed only slowly and incompletely, with much of the unabsorbed dose being voided in the faeces. High polarity may, however, be useful for delivery of the drug to a site of action in the lower bowel (see Chapter 34 ).

Which drugs undergo pH Partitioning in the gut lumen?

Drugs that are weak acids or bases undergo pH partitioning between the gut lumen and mucosal cells.