Glossary 298 Appendix A

Appendix A Glossary 298 Appendix A A Angstrom units (lO-IOm)_ and/or of short duration; or a disease that has a rapid onset. aa amino acid. severe symptoms and brief duration. See also chronic. Ab antibody. ADCC antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. ABC antigen binding protein. addiction See dependence. ABO A system of human blood groups. additive response Where administration of two drugs ABPI Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. produces a response that is the simple sum of their individ absorption In pharmacology. the uptake of a drug from ual responses, i.e. there is not synergism or antagonism. its site of administration. adenyl cyclase See adenylyl cyclase. abundance The term used to describe the average adenyl ate cyclase See adenylyl cyclase. number of molecules of a particular mRNA per cell. adenylyl cyclase The enzyme that produces the second abuse liability of drugs The propensity of a drug to messenger cyclic-AMP from ATP. lead to drug-seeking behaviour. Certain drugs. especially ADH ANTIDIURETIC HORMONE (vasopressin). OPIOID ANALGESICS. such as heroin. have a strong progression adhesion The mechanism by which cells form contacts into drug dependence. with one another and/or an appropriate substratum, e.g. abuse of drugs The nonmedical use of drugs. i.e. integrins, selectins. 'recreational use' without the intention to treat a disease. It is adhesion molecules See cell adhesion molecules. usually a pejorative term, reflecting how drugs can seriously ADI acceptable daily intake (environmental chemistry). interfere with health. See also misuse of drugs. adjuvant A chemical agent that augments the activity of accessory cells Cells that. along with B- and/or another agent. such as an antigen. when used in conjunction. T-Iymphocytes, are involved in the expression of the ADP ADENOSINE DIPHOSPHATE (adenosine 5'-diphosphate). immune response. ADP.ribosylation The addition of a ribosyl group ACE angiotensin-converting enzyme. derived from the ADP moiety of nicotinamide adenine acetylation The addition of an acetyl group to a dinucleotide to a protein. (Certain toxins have their effects molecule. through this mechanism. e.g. cholera toxin ADP-ribosylates acetylcholinesterase See cholinesterases. and inactivates the GTPase activity of G•. ) ACh ACETYLCHOLINE (unofficial). adrenal Pertaining to the adrenal gland. AChE acetylcholinesterase. adrenolytic An agent that blocks the effects of AChR acetylcholine receptor. ADRENALINE and NORADRENALINE secreted by the adrenal acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) medulla, or released from adrenergiC nerve terminals. Caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The ADROIT Adverse Drug Reaction On-line Information virus destroys a subgroup of lymphocytes resulting in Tracking. suppression of the body's immune response. adverse drug reaction A seriously unpleasant or acridine orange (basic orange) A chemical used in harmful effect of a drug administered at a dose normal for experimental biology as a fluorochrome to distinguish therapeutic use. They are divided into groups. such as type A. between double-stranded DNA (fluoresces green) and single which are dose-related and expected (often inevitable), and stranded nucleic acids (fluoresces orange-red). type B. which are rare and often due to allergic reactions acromegaly A disease caused by excessive secretion of (sometimes called idiosyncratic reactions). growth hormone from the anterior pituitary gland as a result aequorin A CALCIUM-BINDING PROTEIN, which is used of a benign pituitary tumour. especially in experimental electrophysiology. that emits a actin A protein found in most cells, which can polymerize flash of light when it binds calcium ions. to form noncontractile filaments. aetiology The study of the cause of disease. action potential The transient localized reversal of the AFC antibody forming cell. electrical potential across a nerve or muscle cell membrane. affective disorder A mental illness characterized by and its restoration. In nerves it can be blocked with changes in mood (affects). TETRODOTOXIN. afferent Leading to; e.g. nerves that transmit information active immunity Immunity that results from from the periphery to the CNS. stimulation of the host's tissues by antigen leading to the affinity In pharmacology, is used as a chemical measure of formation of specific antibodies. the strength of a ligand's tendency to react with a receptor or active transport The mechanism by which substances other binding site. It may be estimated using either are moved across membranes which involves energy and functional or chemical (e.g. radioligand-binding) techniques. carrier proteins. Often against a concentration gradient. A number of forms of equation or treatments have been activity In pharmacology is a general term used to denote derived that describe the reversible binding of chemicals to the potency of a drug. saturable sites. The form of expression for binding of oxygen activity·ratio For series of drugs. is the inverse ratio of with haemoglobin was derived by Hill (see Hill equation) the concentrations reqUired to give a quantitatively and is similar to those later derived by LangmUir (see eqUivalent biological response. If the EC so values for three Langmuir equation) for gases. Analogous relationship agonists A, Band C are I. 10 and 100 nM, respectively. then results from application of the law of mass action. and are the activity ratios for Band C, relative to A = 1.00, are 0.10 used in enzymology as the Michaelis-Menton equation. and 0.01, respectively. Thus. the higher the index. the higher Special applications to the actions of antagonists are found the potency of that drug; which is the reCiprocal of the in the Clark equations and Gaddum-Schild equations for equipotent molar ratio. The term is used largely inter occupancy of drugs at receptors. See also association changeably with relative potency. but may be preferable constant; dissociation constant; pAz. where evidence is lacking of similar slopes and maxima (as Ag antigen. reqUired for the latter). agar A galactan (agarose and agaropectin) used in gel form acute A pharmacological response that is qUick in onset in experimental techniques. such as gel diffUSion. gel SMALL CAPS = cross-reference to an entry in the A-Z Section bold = cross-reference to an entry in the Glossary Glossary 299 electrophoresis and gel filtration. different chemicals showing allosteric interaction is that of agenesis The absence of an organ or tissue. the benzodiazepines and GABA interacting at GABA A aggregation The clumping together of platelets. receptors. Positive and negative cooperativity in binding are agonist Any agent. whether an endogenous mediator or often detected by deviations of the Hill slope from unity. an exogenous chemical. that on combination with a receptor allotopic Interaction of two drugs acting at different sites induces a change in that receptor that leads to a biological on a receptor; as opposed to syntopic interaction where they response. A full agonist produces the maximum biological act at the same site on the receptor. Allosteric interactions response that is achievable in a particular system (though and uncompetitive antagonism are examples of allotopic probably at less than full receptor occupancy). and is an interactions. See also allosteric interaction; antagonism - agent with relatively high efficacy. A partial agonist. by pharmacodynamic. definition. gives a less than maximum biological response. alternative medicine See complementary medicine. and has a lower efficacy. such that. even when all receptors alternative splicing Where different proteins can be are occupied. it gives insufficient stimulus to achieve a produced at translation from a single gene. as a result of maximum response. It is important to appreciate that partial different splicing of the primary mRNA transcript. This is agonists can act as antagonists. since when given together often tissue-specific. with full agonists they occupy receptors unfruitfully. See also Alzheimer's disease A progressive disease where nerve intrinsic activity; intrinsic efficacy; stimulus. cells in the brain degenerate. A common cause of dementia. agranular leukocyte See agranulocyte. amenorrhoea Stopping or absence of menstrual periods. agranulocyte (agranular leukocyte) A white blood cell. aminopeptidases A group of enzymes that remove the such as a lymphocyte and a monocyte. that has non amino-terminal amino acid residues from peptides or granular cytoplasm. proteins. often leading to inactivation. AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. amino terminus (N-terminus) The end of a protein or akaryote A cell that lacks a nucleus. peptide chain that bears the free a-amino group. albumin A protein that is water-soluble and coagulated by AMP ADENOSINE MONOPHOSPHATE (adenosine 5' heat. Serum albumin. found in blood plasma. is important monophosphate). for maintaining plasma volume. aminotransferase See transaminase. alcian blue (copper phthalocyanine) A basic dye used anabolism See metabolism. experimentally to stain polysaccharides and glycoproteins. anaemia A collection of conditions where there is a aldehyde dehydrogenase An enzyme involved in a reduced capacity of the blood to carry oxygen. stage in the catabolism of alcohols. In humans this enzyme amino acid Any of a class of compounds of general shows pharmacogenetic polymorphism. resulting in the formula RCH (NH2) COOH where R is a side-chain. They rate of alcohol metabolism differing in different genetic have

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