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CHAPTER 9: PHARMACOLOGY
B. Short Questions Answers
Q.1: Why antibiotics are not effective against viral infection?
Ans: Antibiotics are useless against viral infections mainly due to the following reasons:
- Viruses are so simple that they use their host cells to perform their activities for them.
- Antibiotics cannot kill viruses because viruses have different structures and replicate in a different way than bacteria.
- Antibiotics work by targeting the growth machinery in bacteria and not viruses, to kill or inhibit those particular bacteria.
- The antiviral drugs work differently to antibiotics, by interfering with the viral enzymes instead.
Q.2: Why the sedative is used for?
Ans: Sedatives are central nervous system (CNS) depressants, a category of drugs that slow normal brain function. Sedatives are used for the following purposes:
- To reduce anxiety,
- To reduce heart rate and breathing,
- To reduce anxiety and tension,
- To treat seizures,
- They are helpful in panic disorders,
- To cure sleep disorders.
Q.3: Why addiction is considered as harmful condition? Or What are the problems associated to drug addiction?
Ans: Some drugs often make person dependent on them or addicted. By using such drugs, the person's body become familiar to it and the user cannot function well without it. This is called drug addiction.
Drug Addiction:
Addiction is considered to be a very harmful condition because addictive drugs act on pleasure center of the brain and therefore affects the way a person processes information.
Drug abusers go through withdrawal of social contact or communication. Many studies by the experts of social sciences prove that there exists a close relationship between drug addiction and crime.
Problems Of Drug Addiction:
1. Law Violation:
The compulsion for narcotic drugs makes every drug addict a law violator and criminal. Mere possession of a narcotic drug is a violation of the law. Thus, every drug addict is subjected to arrest by the police. The jails and prisons of our country are full of such people who have committed no other crime than the illegal possession of narcotics.
2. Involvement in Crimes:
Most drug addicts get involved in various crimes e.g. Robbery, stealing / snatching, shoplifting, burglary, embezzlement etc.
3. Psychic Patients:
Drug addicts may commit violent crimes since so many become psychic patients.
4. Damage Social Life:
The addicts are very weak in their social behaviour. They face social stigma. i.e. the society dislikes them because of their unpredictable behaviours. The addictive people are short tempered and mostly their violent acts results in harm to others or society.
5. Health Issues:
Addictive people suffer health issues which increases other illnesses.
6. Disturbed Family Life:
The family of an addict person is also affected, when the addict does not get its need he become, angry, aggressive, harsh, short temper and does not behave well, ultimately lose relations. .
Q.4: How drugs (medicine) can be taken from natural source?
Natural Sources of drugs:
Drugs can be taken from natural sources through plant, animal, micro organisms and minerals.
1. Drugs from Plants:
Many important medicines are obtained from plants. Plants produce special substances in their roots, leaves, flowers or seeds that help to form drugs in laboratory . Some of them can be used directly as herbs to treat certain diseases. Some examples are:
- The cardiotonic digitalis is made from leaves of purple flowered plant foxglove used to stimulate heart.
- The pain reliever morphine is made from opium, which are extracted from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy plant.
- Many addictive illegal drugs e.g., marijuana are also obtained from plants.
- Cinchona tree contains Quinine in its bark which is used to treat malaria.
2. Drugs from microorganisms:
Microorganisms like bacteria and fungi not only produce primary metabolites but are also capable of making secondary metabolites which are used in the production of antibiotics and anti fungal drugs. Some examples are:
- The antibiotic penicillin comes from a fungus.
- Tetracyclin are produced by bacteria.
- Lovastatin are produced by fungi.
3. Drugs obtained from animals:
Certain animal parts and animal products are used as drugs in therapeutics. The major group of animal products used in medicine are as follows:
- Hormones, enzymes, animal extractives, organs and bile acids.
- Drugs produced by animals are usually their glandular products, such as Fish liver oil, musk, bees wax, etc.
- Certain hormones and antitoxins are also obtained from animal sources.
- Gonadotropin hormone are prepared commercially from either horse serum or from the urine of pregnant woman. They controlled the production of sex hormone in the body
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Hyaluronidase enzyme is produced by some micro organisms found in the heads of leeches, in snake venoms and in mammalian testes
4. Drugs from minerals:
Several common drugs are obtained (synthesized) from minerals or can be given with minerals as supplement:
- The mineral iodine is used in making tincture of iodine, a liquid that helps to prevent infection when applied to cuts and bruises.
- The powder form of silver nitrate is applied on wounds to stop bleeding and prevent infection.
- While testing soil, researcher resulted in the development of one antibiotic terramycin which is used to treat many infections.
- Iron is used to treat iron deficiency (anemia).
- Zinc is used to make zinc oxide paste which is used in wounds and in eczema.
- Gold salts are used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Q.5: Is it possible to get drugs from animals name some of them?
Ans: Yes it is possible to get drugs from animals. Animal parts and animal products are used as drugs in therapeutics. The major group of animal products used in medicine are as follows:
- Hormones, enzymes, animal extractives, organs and bile acids
- Drugs produced by animals are usually their glandular products. Fish liver oil, musk, bees wax, certain hormones and antitoxins are also obtained from animal sources.
- Hyaluronidase enzyme is produced by some micro organisms.
Drugs derived from animals:
- Enexatide, derived from the saliva of the Gila monster, prescribed for type two diabetes.
- Ziconitide, extracted from cone snail venom, for chronic pain.
- Eptifibatide, a synthetic modelled on the venom of the southern pygmy rattlesnake, administered to prevent heart attacks.
- Batroxobin, extracted from South American pit vipers and used in several different blood treatments.
Q.6: Do we have any harm of antibiotics? If, so mention them.
Ans: Yes , antibiotics have some harms and side effects as well because they are prescribed for a particular infection and can harm normal flora beneficial to our body . Some of the harmful side effects are as follows:
- Antibiotic resistance
- Diarrhea
- Upset stomach
- Thrush, which is a fungal infection that can affect the mouth or digestive tract.
- Vaginal yeast infection caused by Candidia albican (discharge, burning, pain, itchiness).
- Can cause yellowing of teeth.
Q.7: How vaccine work against pathogen? Explain the process with the help of diagram.
Ans: VACCINE:
A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease.
It is a material containing weakened or killed pathogens and is used to produce immunity to a disease by stimulating the production of antibodies.
Working of Vaccine:
- Antigens: Pathogens contain special proteins called antigens.
- Antibodies: When pathogens enter the body (blood) of host, these proteins stimulate the immune response in host i.e. synthesis of antibodies. Antibodies bind to pathogens and destroy them.
- Memory cells: These cells are produced which remain in blood and provide protection against future infections with the same pathogen.
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