Pharmacologic antagonism, drugs

Finally, application of the suspected substance should produce a response that mimics the action of the transmitter released by nerve stimulation. Furthermore, application of a selective antagonist should block the response. Microiontophoresis, which permits highly localized drug administration, has been a valuable technique in assessing the action of suspected transmitters. Because of the complexity of the CNS, specific pharmacologic antagonism of a synaptic response provides a particularly powerful technique for transmitter identification. 

The pharmacology of drugs that antagonize catecholamines at a- and B-adrenoceptors is presented in Chapter 10 Adrenoceptor Antagonist Drugs. This chapter will concentrate on two prototypical drugs, propranolol and prazosin, primarily in relation to their use in treatment of hypertension. 

Chang, F.C.T., Hoffman, B.E., DeBus, S. (2002). Pharmacological antagonism of lethal effects induced by O-isobutyl S-2-(dieth-ylamino)ethyl]-methylphosphonothioate. Drug Chem. Toxicol. 25 321-37. 

Other forms of antagonism In addition to pharmacologic antagonism, there are two other mechanisms by which a drug can inhibit or block the effects of an agonist ... 

Schild analysis, like all pharmacological tools, necessarily is predicated on the idea that the drugs involved have one and only one pharmacological activity. This often may not be the case and selectivity is only a function of concentration. If the concentrations used in the assay are below those that have secondary effects, then the tool will furnish the parameter of interest with no obfuscation. However, if a secondary effects are operative in the concentration range required to measure antagonism then the resulting parameter may be tainted by this secondary activity. 

From the examination of structure-activity relationships, it has been concluded that a phenyl moiety at C-6 as well as a 4-hydroxypiperidine side-chain attached to C-3 of the pyridazine system is essential for anticonvulsant activity in this class of compounds [184], Compounds (54) and (55) have been found to have similar anticonvulsant profiles in animals (mice, rats and baboons) [165, and literature cited therein] and to represent potent broad-spectrum antiepileptic drugs. Their potency with regard to antagonizing seizures (induced by electro-shock or various chemicals) has been compared with standard anticonvulsants like carbamazepine and phenobarbitone [185, 186], A quantitative electroencephalographic analysis of (55) has been published [187]. From in vitro studies it has been concluded that the anticonvulsant activities of these compounds are not mediated by an enhancement of GABAergic transmission or by an interaction with benzodiazepine receptor sites [ 165,186,187], On the other hand, in vivo experiments showed that (54), at anticonvulsant doses, increases the affinity of flunitrazepam for its central receptor site [ 186], Investigations of (54) and (55) in a behavioural test predictive of antianxiety activity revealed a marked difference in the pharmacological profiles of these structurally closely related compounds the dichloro compound SR 41378 (55) has also been found to possess anxiolytic (anticonflict) properties [165],... 

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