Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design Flashcards
6 cards from real MPharm Master of Pharmacy practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design flashcards as text
Which computational method is used to predict the binding pose and affinity of a drug candidate in a protein active site?
Answer: Molecular docking
Molecular docking uses computational algorithms to predict how a small molecule positions itself within a target binding site and estimates binding affinity.
What is the primary advantage of developing allosteric inhibitors over competitive orthosteric inhibitors?
Answer: Allosteric inhibitors can achieve greater selectivity since allosteric sites are less conserved
Allosteric sites are structurally more unique across enzyme family members, enabling greater target selectivity compared to highly conserved orthosteric sites.
In the context of prodrug design, which enzyme is responsible for hydrolysis of ester prodrugs in the GI tract and plasma?
Answer: Esterases (carboxylesterases)
Carboxylesterases widely expressed in intestinal mucosa, liver, and plasma cleave ester bonds to release the active parent drug.
Which ring system forms the core structure of the benzodiazepine class of drugs?
Answer: Benzene fused with a seven-membered diazepine ring
Benzodiazepines consist of a benzene ring fused to a 1,4-diazepine seven-membered ring, forming the core pharmacophore for GABA-A receptor modulation.
What does the term 'lead optimization' refer to in the drug discovery process?
Answer: Systematic chemical modification of an initial active compound to improve potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics
Lead optimization involves iterative structural modifications guided by SAR to improve the potency, selectivity, ADMET, and drug-like properties of a promising hit compound.
Which functional group undergoes Phase II glucuronidation conjugation in drug metabolism?
Answer: Hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino, and thiol groups
UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) conjugate glucuronic acid to nucleophilic groups including hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino, and thiol groups to enhance water solubility.