PHAR 370 Final Exam | Questions and verified
Answers | 2026 Updates | 100% correct
Pharmacology - ANSWER- The study of substances that affect or alter living systems through
chemical processes. Systems are usually affected by increasing or decreasing activity of
regulatory processes within the living system
Drug - ANSWER- Any substance received by biological system that is not received for nutritive
purposes
What are the two divisions of pharmacology? - ANSWER- Pharmacodynamics and
Pharmacokinetics
What is Pharmacodynamics - ANSWER- What a drug does to the body
What is Pharmacokinetics - ANSWER- The study of drug absorption, distribution metabolism,
and excretion as a function of time.
What are the two responses drugs are administered to achieve? - ANSWER- 1. Beneficial
effect on an individual
2. Exert a toxic effect on an individual (antibiotics)
What are endogenous ligands? - ANSWER- Substances usually found in the body like
hormones and neurotransmitters
What are the four types of receptors? - ANSWER- Regulatory proteins, transporters,
enzymes, and structural proteins
What are regulatory proteins? - ANSWER- Proteins that mediate the actions of endogenous
chemical signals. Generally mediate transmembrane signaling
What is signal transduction? - ANSWER- When a ligand/drug bind and activate its receptor,
which then triggers other biochemical events resulting in pharmacological effect.
What are four common signaling mechanisms for a regulatory protein? - ANSWER- Regulated
transmembrane enzymes, ligand gated ion channels, G-protein coupled receptor, and
intracellular receptors
,What are regulated transmembrane enzymes? - ANSWER- Receptors that activate an enzyme
inside the cell when an endogenous ligand or drug binds.
What happens when regulated transmembrane enzymes are activated? - ANSWER- When
activated are called protein kinases, these phosphorylate and activate a cascade of biochemical
events
What are ligand gated ion channels as receptors - ANSWER- Regulatory proteins that
transport ions across the cell membrane when an endogenous ligand or drug binds to the
receptor.
How do ligand gated ion channels work? - ANSWER- When a ligand/drug binds it undergoes
conformational change in the channel to open it
What type of mechanism is the nicotinic receptor? - ANSWER- Ligand gated ion channel
What does the nicotinic receptor do? - ANSWER- Ach binds to the receptor in the muscle
causing the channel to open. It increases Na conc. and the muscle membrane depolarizes and
the contraction happens quickly.
What are g-protein coupled receptors? - ANSWER- Receptors that undergo a conformation
change when an endogenous ligand or drug binds, activating a second messenger system.
What does the g-protein coupled receptor do? - ANSWER- When a drug binds to it, it
changed shape which activates the g-protein. This activates a secondary messenger that
activates the enzyme of ion channel that results in an effect.
What are intracellular receptors? - ANSWER- Receptors that move into the nucleus when
bound to an endogenous ligand or drug, increasing drug expression
What are examples of intracellular receptors? - ANSWER- Steroid and thyroid hormones
What are transporters? - ANSWER- Receptor proteins that transport endogenous substances
across cell membranes, drugs that target transporters often inhibit their function
Example of a transporter - ANSWER- SSRIs block the transporter responsible for removing
serotonin
What are enzymes? - ANSWER- Protein catalyze a biological reaction, frugs for enzymes often
inhibit function
Example of an enzyme - ANSWER- Cholesterol drugs inhibit HMG-CoA reductase (syntesizes
cholesterol).
,What are structural proteins - ANSWER- Proteins that contribute to the cell structure, drugs
will disrupt this function
Example of structural proteins - ANSWER- Anticancer drugs bind to microtubules and inhibit
spindle formation, stopping cell division
What are drugs not mediated by receptors - ANSWER- Antiacids and drugs for chemotherapy
How are drugs classified - ANSWER- By where they bind to a receptor and what the effect of
binding is
Allosteric Activator - ANSWER- Binds to a different area of the receptor than the agonist, but
makes the receptor easier to activate
Competitive Antagonist - ANSWER- Reversibly binds to the same receptor site as an agonist
but does not activate it
Partial Agonist - ANSWER- Binds to the receptor and activates it, but produces a weak
response
Agonist - ANSWER- Binds to and activates the receptor, producing a full response
Non-Competitive Antagonist - ANSWER- Irreversibly binds to and blocks the receptor
What is the Dose-Response relationship - ANSWER- The intensity of the pharmacological
effects produced by a drug in proportion to the dose.
What type of scale does the dose response relationship use? - ANSWER- Logarithmic Scale:
nonlinear scale of measurement where each unit is a 10 fold change in the measurement
What is ED50 - ANSWER- The dose of drug that will result in 50% of maximal effect, or as
dose of drug that is effective in half of the population
What is efficacy? - ANSWER- The maximum pharmacological response that can be produced
by a specific drug in that biological system, amount doesn't matter
What is potency? - ANSWER- The dose or concentration of a drug that is required to produce
a response of a certain magnitude
What is more important? Efficacy or Potency? - ANSWER- Efficacy, the max effectiveness of a
drug is used to determine if the drug is used
What is the therapeutic range? - ANSWER- The range of drug concentration that is above
minimum therapeutic concentration but below toxic concentration
, What is the recommended dose? - ANSWER- The dose that will cause the desired effect in
majority of people (based off of ED50)
What is drug disposition? - ANSWER- The process involved in the journey of a drug through
the body
What is ADME? - ANSWER- The four key processes of pharmacokinetics:
1. Absorption
2. Distribution
3. Metabolism
4. Excretion
Absorption - ANSWER- Movement of a drug from the site of administration in the blood
Distribution - ANSWER- The movement of a drug from the blood to site of action and other
tissues
Metabolism - ANSWER- Aka Biotransformation
The conversion of a drug into a different compound, usually more water soluble
Excretion - ANSWER- Removal of a drug and its products from the body
What are two ways of removing drugs from the body? - ANSWER- Excretion and
biotransformation
What is bioavailability - ANSWER- The percentage of an administered dose that reaches the
blood in an active form
What method of drug administration has 100% bioavilability - ANSWER- Intravenously
What range of bioavailability can drugs administered orally have? - ANSWER- 5-100%
What are excipients - ANSWER- Fillers and binders that are inactive and serve as a vehicle or
medium for the drug to enter the body
What are the three steps of absorption? - ANSWER- 1. Release of drug from dosage form
2. Drug must dissolve in the fluids of the GI tract before going into the blood
3. To be absorbed into blood drug must cross biological membranes
What is a way of crossing the cell membrane - ANSWER- Diffusion through lipids
Answers | 2026 Updates | 100% correct
Pharmacology - ANSWER- The study of substances that affect or alter living systems through
chemical processes. Systems are usually affected by increasing or decreasing activity of
regulatory processes within the living system
Drug - ANSWER- Any substance received by biological system that is not received for nutritive
purposes
What are the two divisions of pharmacology? - ANSWER- Pharmacodynamics and
Pharmacokinetics
What is Pharmacodynamics - ANSWER- What a drug does to the body
What is Pharmacokinetics - ANSWER- The study of drug absorption, distribution metabolism,
and excretion as a function of time.
What are the two responses drugs are administered to achieve? - ANSWER- 1. Beneficial
effect on an individual
2. Exert a toxic effect on an individual (antibiotics)
What are endogenous ligands? - ANSWER- Substances usually found in the body like
hormones and neurotransmitters
What are the four types of receptors? - ANSWER- Regulatory proteins, transporters,
enzymes, and structural proteins
What are regulatory proteins? - ANSWER- Proteins that mediate the actions of endogenous
chemical signals. Generally mediate transmembrane signaling
What is signal transduction? - ANSWER- When a ligand/drug bind and activate its receptor,
which then triggers other biochemical events resulting in pharmacological effect.
What are four common signaling mechanisms for a regulatory protein? - ANSWER- Regulated
transmembrane enzymes, ligand gated ion channels, G-protein coupled receptor, and
intracellular receptors
,What are regulated transmembrane enzymes? - ANSWER- Receptors that activate an enzyme
inside the cell when an endogenous ligand or drug binds.
What happens when regulated transmembrane enzymes are activated? - ANSWER- When
activated are called protein kinases, these phosphorylate and activate a cascade of biochemical
events
What are ligand gated ion channels as receptors - ANSWER- Regulatory proteins that
transport ions across the cell membrane when an endogenous ligand or drug binds to the
receptor.
How do ligand gated ion channels work? - ANSWER- When a ligand/drug binds it undergoes
conformational change in the channel to open it
What type of mechanism is the nicotinic receptor? - ANSWER- Ligand gated ion channel
What does the nicotinic receptor do? - ANSWER- Ach binds to the receptor in the muscle
causing the channel to open. It increases Na conc. and the muscle membrane depolarizes and
the contraction happens quickly.
What are g-protein coupled receptors? - ANSWER- Receptors that undergo a conformation
change when an endogenous ligand or drug binds, activating a second messenger system.
What does the g-protein coupled receptor do? - ANSWER- When a drug binds to it, it
changed shape which activates the g-protein. This activates a secondary messenger that
activates the enzyme of ion channel that results in an effect.
What are intracellular receptors? - ANSWER- Receptors that move into the nucleus when
bound to an endogenous ligand or drug, increasing drug expression
What are examples of intracellular receptors? - ANSWER- Steroid and thyroid hormones
What are transporters? - ANSWER- Receptor proteins that transport endogenous substances
across cell membranes, drugs that target transporters often inhibit their function
Example of a transporter - ANSWER- SSRIs block the transporter responsible for removing
serotonin
What are enzymes? - ANSWER- Protein catalyze a biological reaction, frugs for enzymes often
inhibit function
Example of an enzyme - ANSWER- Cholesterol drugs inhibit HMG-CoA reductase (syntesizes
cholesterol).
,What are structural proteins - ANSWER- Proteins that contribute to the cell structure, drugs
will disrupt this function
Example of structural proteins - ANSWER- Anticancer drugs bind to microtubules and inhibit
spindle formation, stopping cell division
What are drugs not mediated by receptors - ANSWER- Antiacids and drugs for chemotherapy
How are drugs classified - ANSWER- By where they bind to a receptor and what the effect of
binding is
Allosteric Activator - ANSWER- Binds to a different area of the receptor than the agonist, but
makes the receptor easier to activate
Competitive Antagonist - ANSWER- Reversibly binds to the same receptor site as an agonist
but does not activate it
Partial Agonist - ANSWER- Binds to the receptor and activates it, but produces a weak
response
Agonist - ANSWER- Binds to and activates the receptor, producing a full response
Non-Competitive Antagonist - ANSWER- Irreversibly binds to and blocks the receptor
What is the Dose-Response relationship - ANSWER- The intensity of the pharmacological
effects produced by a drug in proportion to the dose.
What type of scale does the dose response relationship use? - ANSWER- Logarithmic Scale:
nonlinear scale of measurement where each unit is a 10 fold change in the measurement
What is ED50 - ANSWER- The dose of drug that will result in 50% of maximal effect, or as
dose of drug that is effective in half of the population
What is efficacy? - ANSWER- The maximum pharmacological response that can be produced
by a specific drug in that biological system, amount doesn't matter
What is potency? - ANSWER- The dose or concentration of a drug that is required to produce
a response of a certain magnitude
What is more important? Efficacy or Potency? - ANSWER- Efficacy, the max effectiveness of a
drug is used to determine if the drug is used
What is the therapeutic range? - ANSWER- The range of drug concentration that is above
minimum therapeutic concentration but below toxic concentration
, What is the recommended dose? - ANSWER- The dose that will cause the desired effect in
majority of people (based off of ED50)
What is drug disposition? - ANSWER- The process involved in the journey of a drug through
the body
What is ADME? - ANSWER- The four key processes of pharmacokinetics:
1. Absorption
2. Distribution
3. Metabolism
4. Excretion
Absorption - ANSWER- Movement of a drug from the site of administration in the blood
Distribution - ANSWER- The movement of a drug from the blood to site of action and other
tissues
Metabolism - ANSWER- Aka Biotransformation
The conversion of a drug into a different compound, usually more water soluble
Excretion - ANSWER- Removal of a drug and its products from the body
What are two ways of removing drugs from the body? - ANSWER- Excretion and
biotransformation
What is bioavailability - ANSWER- The percentage of an administered dose that reaches the
blood in an active form
What method of drug administration has 100% bioavilability - ANSWER- Intravenously
What range of bioavailability can drugs administered orally have? - ANSWER- 5-100%
What are excipients - ANSWER- Fillers and binders that are inactive and serve as a vehicle or
medium for the drug to enter the body
What are the three steps of absorption? - ANSWER- 1. Release of drug from dosage form
2. Drug must dissolve in the fluids of the GI tract before going into the blood
3. To be absorbed into blood drug must cross biological membranes
What is a way of crossing the cell membrane - ANSWER- Diffusion through lipids
