NUR2407 / NUR 2407: Pharmacology Exam 1 Test
Questions and Verified Answers 2026/2027 Latest
(Graded A+)
• pharmacodynamics -✓✓relationship between drug concentration over time and
therapeutic response
• chemical specificity for receptors -✓✓specificity between receptors and bonds,
EX strict structural requirements for binding
• receptor saturability -✓✓only a finite number of receptors that can be occupied
• receptor affinity -✓✓measure of attraction between drug and receptor
• drug potency -✓✓dose required to have certain effect, related to affinity of
receptor
• ED50 -✓✓dose which produces 50% of maximum effect, used to compare drugs
in terms of potency
• drug efficacy -✓✓maximal effect achievable for a drug, related to number of
receptor/complexes formed, intrinsic activity of drug in activating receptor
• full agonist -✓✓affinity to, and full activator, of receptor (high intrinsic
activity/efficacy), increases activity above basal level of receptor where receptor
has a constitutive (intrinsic basal) level of activity in the absence of a ligand
• inverse agonist -✓✓affinity to, and full activator of receptor (high intrinsic
activity/efficacy), but has exact opposite effect of full agonist (metoprolol),
decreases activity below basal level of receptor where receptor has a constitutive
(intrinsic basal) level of activity in the absence of a ligand
• partial agonist -✓✓affinity to receptor but only partially activates a receptor,
produces less than the ceiling effect of a full agonist
, • pure antagonist -✓✓affinity to receptor but produces no activation, dose curve is
a straight line across the bottom of an XY graph (EX oraverse vasodilates,
overcoming the vasocontriction of the LA)
• neutral antgonist -✓✓has no activity in the absence of an agonist or inverse
agonist but can block either's activity
• competitive antagonist -✓✓lacks efficacy, competes with agonists for binding
sites, inhibitory effect can be overcome by increasing concentration of competing
agonist
• every drug produces a variety of effects, we hope we can get separation from
things we want and adverse side effects, this is different for every patient -✓✓
• know the second slide on page 10 of principles of drugs -✓✓which drugs is most
potent, least potenet, most efficient and least efficient
• physiological antagonism -✓✓stimulates competing/opposite physiological
responses which counteract the effects of a therapeutic drug, the inhibitory effect
can *NOT* be overcome by increasing the agonist dosage (EX epi is used during
anaphylaxis to produce physiological responses instead of an antihistamine which
is only a competing antagonist)
• exam will ask you to explain interactions between drugs in reference to
physiological antagonism that were explained in lectures -✓✓
• therapeutic index -✓✓the difference between a dose that produces a therapeutic
effect and a dose that produces a lethal toxicity, this has to do with a population
• which drug is a safer drug? a drug with a
therapeutic index of 2
or
therapeutic index of 10 -✓✓the therapeutic index of 10 is safer, there is a larger
range of dosages we can give without toxicity
• therapeutic window -✓✓difference between ineffective and effective dose range,
drugs like penicillin has a large window where others have a small one (more
dangerous), some DDIs happen to decrease or increase metabolism/reception of the
Questions and Verified Answers 2026/2027 Latest
(Graded A+)
• pharmacodynamics -✓✓relationship between drug concentration over time and
therapeutic response
• chemical specificity for receptors -✓✓specificity between receptors and bonds,
EX strict structural requirements for binding
• receptor saturability -✓✓only a finite number of receptors that can be occupied
• receptor affinity -✓✓measure of attraction between drug and receptor
• drug potency -✓✓dose required to have certain effect, related to affinity of
receptor
• ED50 -✓✓dose which produces 50% of maximum effect, used to compare drugs
in terms of potency
• drug efficacy -✓✓maximal effect achievable for a drug, related to number of
receptor/complexes formed, intrinsic activity of drug in activating receptor
• full agonist -✓✓affinity to, and full activator, of receptor (high intrinsic
activity/efficacy), increases activity above basal level of receptor where receptor
has a constitutive (intrinsic basal) level of activity in the absence of a ligand
• inverse agonist -✓✓affinity to, and full activator of receptor (high intrinsic
activity/efficacy), but has exact opposite effect of full agonist (metoprolol),
decreases activity below basal level of receptor where receptor has a constitutive
(intrinsic basal) level of activity in the absence of a ligand
• partial agonist -✓✓affinity to receptor but only partially activates a receptor,
produces less than the ceiling effect of a full agonist
, • pure antagonist -✓✓affinity to receptor but produces no activation, dose curve is
a straight line across the bottom of an XY graph (EX oraverse vasodilates,
overcoming the vasocontriction of the LA)
• neutral antgonist -✓✓has no activity in the absence of an agonist or inverse
agonist but can block either's activity
• competitive antagonist -✓✓lacks efficacy, competes with agonists for binding
sites, inhibitory effect can be overcome by increasing concentration of competing
agonist
• every drug produces a variety of effects, we hope we can get separation from
things we want and adverse side effects, this is different for every patient -✓✓
• know the second slide on page 10 of principles of drugs -✓✓which drugs is most
potent, least potenet, most efficient and least efficient
• physiological antagonism -✓✓stimulates competing/opposite physiological
responses which counteract the effects of a therapeutic drug, the inhibitory effect
can *NOT* be overcome by increasing the agonist dosage (EX epi is used during
anaphylaxis to produce physiological responses instead of an antihistamine which
is only a competing antagonist)
• exam will ask you to explain interactions between drugs in reference to
physiological antagonism that were explained in lectures -✓✓
• therapeutic index -✓✓the difference between a dose that produces a therapeutic
effect and a dose that produces a lethal toxicity, this has to do with a population
• which drug is a safer drug? a drug with a
therapeutic index of 2
or
therapeutic index of 10 -✓✓the therapeutic index of 10 is safer, there is a larger
range of dosages we can give without toxicity
• therapeutic window -✓✓difference between ineffective and effective dose range,
drugs like penicillin has a large window where others have a small one (more
dangerous), some DDIs happen to decrease or increase metabolism/reception of the
