Pharmacological mechanisms of action

Conduct additional mechanism of pharmacologic action studies, if necessary. 

However, despite such impressive levels of potency, these compounds are not reported to possess the highly desirable property of tissue selectivity. The search for KCAs that are selective for indications other than that of hypertension has been pursued in several different ways, for example by identifying compounds that open different or additional K+ channels, or possess additional mechanisms of pharmacological action. In addition, some success has been achieved by the identification of novel structures that open K channels and by structural variation in the existing series of KCA molecules. The remainder of this article is therefore devoted to the application of these strategies and the interesting results that have accrued from them. 

The precise mechanism of nitrate action is not cleady understood and may be a combination of many factors. The basic pharmacologic action of nitrates is a relaxation of most vascular smooth muscle, eg, vascular, bronchial, gastrointestinal, uretal, uterine, etc. Vascular smooth muscle relaxation is a... 

The pharmacology of amphetamine is considerably more complex. It does not only block monoamine reuptake, but also directly inhibits the vesicular monoamine transporter, causing an increase in cytosolic but not vesicular dopamine concentration. This may lead to reverse transport of the amines via the membrane-bound transporters. Further mechanisms of amphetamine action are direct MAO inhibition and indirect release of both dopamine and serotonin in the striatum. 

Lack of information concerning the exact mechanism of the action for the immunomodulatory pharmacological activities. 

Inhibitors of the catalytic activities of enzymes provide both pharmacologic agents and research tools for study of the mechanism of enzyme action. Inhibitors can be classified based upon their site of action on the enzyme, on whether or not they chemically modify the enzyme, or on the kinetic parameters they influence. KineticaUy, we distinguish two classes of inhibitors based upon whether raising the substrate concentration does or does not overcome the inhibition. 

Many measurements in pharmacology rely on a chain of events following receptor activation to produce a measurable response — for example, contraction of the smooth muscle of a piece of guinea-pig ileum in response to muscarinic receptor activation by acetylcholine. This means that the relationship between receptor occupancy and response is likely to be complex, and mechanisms of drug action in such systems are often difficult to define. 

Ross, E.M., Pharmacodynamics mechanisms of drug action and the relationship between drug concentration and effect, in Goodman and Gilman s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th ed., Hardman, J.G. and Limbird, L.E., Eds., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996, chap. 2. 

Pharmacology Primidone s mechanism of antiepileptic action is not known. Primidone and its 2 metabolites, phenobarbital and phenylethylmalonamide (PEMA) have anticonvulsant activity. 

PGE and PGF derivatives lower intraocular pressure. The mechanism of this action is unclear but probably involves increased outflow of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber via the uveoscleral pathway (see Clinical Pharmacology of Eicosanoids). 

Sindrup, S. H. and Jensen, T. S. Efficacy of pharmacological treatments of neuropathic pain an update and effect related to mechanism of drug action, Pain 1999, 83, 389-400. 

Treatments of Alzheimer s disease in the future will likely involve multiple pharmacology approaches with mixing and matching different mechanisms of therapeutic action. True or False. 

Because of the extensive clinical use of therapeutic medications, members of the medical community must have some knowledge of the basic types of drugs and the mechanisms of their actions. Although this has always been true for individuals who prescribe and administer drugs (i.e., physicians and nurses), it is now recognized that members of other health-related professions must have a fundamental knowledge of pharmacology. 

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