NEET MDS Lessons
Pharmacology
Metabolism
Hepatic Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes: most drug metabolism in the liverperformed by the hepatic microsomal enzyme system.
Therapeutic Consequences of Drug Metabolism
- Accelerated Renal Drug Excretion: The most important consequence of drug metabolism is the promotion of renal drug excretion. Metabolism makes it possible for the kidney to excrete many drugs that it otherwise could not.
- Drug Inactivation
- Increased Therapeutic Action: Metabolism may increase the effectiveness of some drugs.
- Activation of Prodrugs: A prodrug is a compound that is inactive when administered and made active by conversion in the body.
- Increased or Decreased Toxicity
Factors that influence rate of metabolism:
- Age: Hepatic maturation doesn't occur until about a year old.
- Induction of Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes: Some drugs can cause the rate of metabolism to increase, leading to the need for an increased dosage. May also influence the rate of metabolism for other drugs taken at the same time, leading to a need for increased dosages of those drugs as well.
- First-Pass Effect: Hepatic inactivation of certain oral drugs. Avoided by parentaral administration of drugs that undergo rapid hepatic metabolism.
- Nutritional Status
- Competition between Drugs
Gentamicin
Gentamicin is a aminoglycoside antibiotic, and can treat many different types of bacterial infections, particularly Gram-negative infection.
Gentamicin works by binding to a site on the bacterial ribosome, causing the genetic code to be misread.
Like all aminoglycosides, gentamicin does not pass the gastro-intestinal tract, so it can only be given intravenously or intramuscularly.
Gentamicin can cause deafness or a loss of equilibrioception in genetically susceptible individuals. These individuals have a normally harmless mutation in their DNA, that allows the gentamicin to affect their cells. The cells of the ear are particularly sensitive to this.
Gentamicin can also be highly nephrotoxic, particularly if multiple doses accumulate over a course of treatment. For this reason gentamicin is usually dosed by body weight. Various formulae exist for calculating gentamicin dosage. Also serum levels of gentamicin are monitored during treatment.
E. Coli has shown some resistance to Gentamicin, despite being gram-negative
Quinolone
Quinolones and fluoroquinolones form a group of broad-spectrum antibiotics. They are derived from nalidixic acid.
Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are highly potent and considered relatively safe.
MOA : Quinolones act by inhibiting the bacterial DNA gyrase enzyme. This way they inhibit nucleic acid synthesis and act bacteriocidically.
Drugs :Nalidixic acid, Ciprofloxacin , Levofloxacin, Norfloxacin ,Ofloxacin, Moxifloxacin , Trovafloxacin
Oxyphenbutazone: one of the metabolites of phenylbutazone. Apazone. Similar to phenylbutazone, but less likely to cause agranulocytosis
Aminoglycoside
Aminoglycosides are a group of antibiotics that are effective against certain types of bacteria. They include amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, neomycin, netilmicin, paromomycin, streptomycin, and tobramycin. Those which are derived from Streptomyces species
Aminoglycosides work by binding to the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit, causing misreading of t-RNA, leaving the bacterium unable to synthesize proteins vital to its growth.
Aminoglycosides are useful primarily in infections involving aerobic, Gram-negative bacteria, such as Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Enterobacter. In addition, some mycobacteria, including the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, are susceptible to aminoglycosides. Streptomycin was the first effective drug in the treatment of tuberculosis, though the role of aminoglycosides such as streptomycin and amikacin have been eclipsed (because of their toxicity and inconvenient route of administration) except for multiple drug resistant strains.
Infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria can also be treated with aminoglycosides, but other types of antibiotics are more potent and less damaging to the host. In the past the aminoglycosides have been used in conjunction with penicillin-related antibiotics in streptococcal infections for their synergistic effects, particularly in endocarditis.
Because of their potential for ototoxicity and renal toxicity, aminoglycosides are administered in doses based on body weight. Blood drug levels and creatinine are monitored during the course of therapy.
There is no oral form of these antibiotics: they are generally administered intravenously, though some are used in topical preparations used on wounds.
Aminoglycosides are mostly ineffective against anaerobic bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Antifungal
There are several classes of antifungal drugs.
The polyenes bind with sterols in the fungal cell wall, principally ergosterol. This causes the cell's contents to leak out and the cell dies. Human (and other animal) cells contain cholesterol rather than ergosterol so are much less suceptible.
Nystatin
Amphotericin B
Natamycin
The imidazole and triazole groups of antifungal drugs inhibit the enzyme cytochrome P450 14α-demethylase. This enzyme converts lanosterol to ergosterol, and is required in fungal cell wall synthesis. These drugs also block steroid synthesis in humans.
Imidazoles:
Miconazole
Ketoconazole
Clotrimazole
The triazoles are newer, and are less toxic and more effective:
Fluconazole
Itraconazole
Allylamines inhibit the enzyme squalene epoxidase, another enzyme required for ergosterol synthesis:
Terbinafine
Echinocandins inhibit the synthesis of glucan in the cell wall, probably via the enzyme 1,3-β glucan synthase:
Caspofungin
Micafungin
Others:
Flucytosine is an antimetabolite.
Griseofulvin binds to polymerized microtubules and inhibits fungal mitosis.
Valdecoxib
used in the treatment of osteoarthritis, acute pain conditions, and dysmenorrhoea
Etoricoxib new COX-2 selective inhibitor