Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Design Flashcards
6 cards from real Pharm.D. Doctor 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 Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Drug Design flashcards as text
Which functional group is primarily responsible for the acidic properties of aspirin?
Answer: Carboxylic acid group
The carboxylic acid (–COOH) group in aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is responsible for its acidic properties and contributes to gastric irritation.
In prodrug design, the active drug is released after:
Answer: Metabolic or chemical conversion in the body
Prodrugs are pharmacologically inactive compounds that undergo metabolic or chemical biotransformation to release the active drug in the body.
Which stereochemical concept explains why (R)- and (S)-ibuprofen differ in pharmacological activity?
Answer: Chirality and enantioselectivity
Chirality results in enantiomers that interact differently with stereospecific biological targets; S-ibuprofen is the active form that inhibits COX enzymes.
What does structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies primarily determine?
Answer: How chemical structure modifications affect pharmacological activity
SAR studies examine how changes in a molecule's chemical structure affect its biological activity, guiding medicinal chemists in optimizing drug candidates.
Which principle in drug design states that increasing lipophilicity generally improves CNS penetration?
Answer: Lipinski's Rule of Five
Lipinski's Rule of Five guides oral drug design by defining physicochemical properties for good bioavailability, and lipophilicity (logP) is a key factor in CNS penetration.
Beta-lactam antibiotics exert their antibacterial effect by:
Answer: Irreversibly binding to penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and inhibiting cell wall synthesis
Beta-lactam antibiotics covalently and irreversibly bind to penicillin-binding proteins (transpeptidases), inhibiting bacterial cell wall (peptidoglycan) cross-linking.