The Sciences of Medicine
Content
The Science Of Medicine Course - Monash University (futurelearn.com)
Healthcare Team
- GPs work closely with pharmacists
- doctor diagnoses patient and prescribes most appropriate medicine
- medicine is prescribed, pharmacist needs to review medicine
- they need to check dose, how to take it, manage medicine and takes in account other
medicines
- also reviews and tells patient about side effects can be expected
- pharmacist and doctor work together to see response to medicine, see if dose needs
to be changed
- pharmacists are important, they are usually more accessible than doctors in
community area
Pharmacology 1
- science of how drugs work in the body
- body is made up of system of systems e.g. skeletal system, nervous system, digestive
system, circulatory system
- each system has organs that work for it e.g. digestive system has stomach, intestines,
liver and pancreas
- organs made up of tissues that are made up of cells
- cells have cell membranes, organelles and nucleus (contains DNA)
- all organs work together due to cells which use electrical signals (neurotransmitters)
and hormones
Chemistry
- many cases molecular selectivity occurred
- drugs are made up of limited chemical elements, mainly organic (from nature)
- this means that most drugs contain carbon atoms
- common elements in drugs are CHONPS (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorous and sulfur)
- phosphorous is important as it is found in our DNA
- halogens such as bromine, fluoride and chlorine are also encountered sometimes
- single bonds mean particles with only one bond between them ( shown as - )
- double bonds mean particles with two bonds between them e.g. c=c double bonds
(shown by =)
- aromatic bonds shown by a ring of bonds
- remember that each carbon has 4 bonds
- number of bonds elements make determines the shape of the structure
- bonds can be rotatable, allowing flexibility
- however, certain shapes are more favored than others
- most drugs will interact with certain protein targets to work
- salt bridges (interaction between two charged groups) e.g. negatively charged
carboxylic acid and positively charged amino groups.
- bonds are electrostatic (usually strong)
- strength of bond determines potency of drug
- hydrogen bonds occur between groups of nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms (with their
hydrogens)
- don’t involve full charges so although also electrostatic, they are weaker than salt
bridges
- used to design drugs for specificity to reach different protein targets
- hydrophobic interactions occur between hydrophobic parts of molecules and
hydrophobic parts of proteins
- they join together and avoid water
- this bond is weak (shown by wavy lines) but are useful in helping binding drugs and
proteins (especially if there is good fit between drug shape and protein binding site)
Functional Groups
OH Group (aka alcohol group)
- if an oxygen with two groups attached it is known as an ether
- two carbons attached to oxygen makes the diethyl ether (anesthetic)
C=O Group (carbonyl group)
- when there is double bond between carbon and oxygen atom
- used in acetone (nail polish remover)
Amino Groups (NHR, NR2 and NR3)
- the amino groups are classed according to if they are part of ring or if they are
aromatic
- nicotine is part of this group
COOH group
- consists of two oxygens, one carbon and one hydrogen
- e.g acetic acid is part of COOH group
Healthcare Team
- GPs work closely with pharmacists
- doctor diagnoses patient and prescribes most appropriate medicine
- medicine is prescribed, pharmacist needs to review medicine
- they need to check dose, how to take it, manage medicine and takes in account other
medicines
- also reviews and tells patient about side effects can be expected
- pharmacist and doctor work together to see response to medicine, see if dose needs
to be changed
- pharmacists are important, they are usually more accessible than doctors in
community area
Pharmacology 1
- science of how drugs work in the body
- body is made up of system of systems e.g. skeletal system, nervous system, digestive
system, circulatory system
- each system has organs that work for it e.g. digestive system has stomach, intestines,
liver and pancreas
- organs made up of tissues that are made up of cells
- cells have cell membranes, organelles and nucleus (contains DNA)
- all organs work together due to cells which use electrical signals (neurotransmitters)
and hormones
Chemistry
- many cases molecular selectivity occurred
- drugs are made up of limited chemical elements, mainly organic (from nature)
- this means that most drugs contain carbon atoms
- common elements in drugs are CHONPS (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorous and sulfur)
- phosphorous is important as it is found in our DNA
- halogens such as bromine, fluoride and chlorine are also encountered sometimes
- single bonds mean particles with only one bond between them ( shown as - )
- double bonds mean particles with two bonds between them e.g. c=c double bonds
(shown by =)
- aromatic bonds shown by a ring of bonds
- remember that each carbon has 4 bonds
- number of bonds elements make determines the shape of the structure
- bonds can be rotatable, allowing flexibility
- however, certain shapes are more favored than others
- most drugs will interact with certain protein targets to work
- salt bridges (interaction between two charged groups) e.g. negatively charged
carboxylic acid and positively charged amino groups.
- bonds are electrostatic (usually strong)
- strength of bond determines potency of drug
- hydrogen bonds occur between groups of nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms (with their
hydrogens)
- don’t involve full charges so although also electrostatic, they are weaker than salt
bridges
- used to design drugs for specificity to reach different protein targets
- hydrophobic interactions occur between hydrophobic parts of molecules and
hydrophobic parts of proteins
- they join together and avoid water
- this bond is weak (shown by wavy lines) but are useful in helping binding drugs and
proteins (especially if there is good fit between drug shape and protein binding site)
Functional Groups
OH Group (aka alcohol group)
- if an oxygen with two groups attached it is known as an ether
- two carbons attached to oxygen makes the diethyl ether (anesthetic)
C=O Group (carbonyl group)
- when there is double bond between carbon and oxygen atom
- used in acetone (nail polish remover)
Amino Groups (NHR, NR2 and NR3)
- the amino groups are classed according to if they are part of ring or if they are
aromatic
- nicotine is part of this group
COOH group
- consists of two oxygens, one carbon and one hydrogen
- e.g acetic acid is part of COOH group
