EvidenceLib · Topic area
Pharmacology
How drugs act, are handled by the body and are used in therapy. 99 evidence-grounded articles.
A B C D E F G H I M N O P Q R S T U V
Absorption
The physical or physiological processes by which substances, tissue, cells, etc.
Adrenergic Antagonists
Drugs that bind to but do not activate adrenergic receptors.
Alkylating Agents
Highly reactive chemicals that introduce alkyl radicals into biologically active molecules and thereby prevent their proper functioning.
Androgens
Compounds that interact with androgen receptors in target tissues to bring about the effects similar to those of testosterone.
Anesthetics
Agents capable of inducing a total or partial loss of sensation, especially tactile sensation and pain.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
A class of drugs whose main indications are the treatment of hypertension and heart failure.
Antibiotic Prophylaxis
Use of antibiotics before, during, or after a diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedure to prevent infectious complications.
Antimetabolites
Drugs that are chemically similar to naturally occurring metabolites, but differ enough to interfere with normal metabolic pathways.
Antioxidants
Naturally occurring or synthetic substances that inhibit or retard oxidation reactions.
Antipsychotic Agents
Agents that control agitated psychotic behavior, alleviate acute psychotic states, reduce psychotic symptoms, and exert a quieting effect.
Area Under Curve
A statistical means of summarizing information from a series of measurements on one individual.
Bioaccumulation
An increase in the concentration of an exogenous substance in the tissues of organisms higher than surrounding environment.
Biotransformation
The chemical alteration of an exogenous substance by or in a biological system.
Calcium Channel Blockers
A class of drugs that act by selective inhibition of calcium influx through cellular membranes.
Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors
A class of compounds that reduces the secretion of H+ ions by the proximal kidney tubule through inhibition of carbonic anhydrases.
Chelating Agents
Chemicals that bind to and remove ions from solutions.
Chelation Therapy
Therapy of heavy metal poisoning using agents which sequester the metal from organs or tissues and bind it firmly within the ring structure of a new compound which can be eliminated from the body.
Cholinesterase Inhibitors
Drugs that inhibit cholinesterases.
Consolidation Chemotherapy
Drug treatment designed to further diminish the disease toward complete remission following induction chemotherapy.
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors
Compounds or agents that combine with cyclooxygenase (prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthases) and thereby prevent its substrate-enzyme combination with arachidonic acid and the formation of eicosanoids, prostaglandins, and thromboxa
Dendrimers
Tree-like, highly branched, polymeric compounds.
DNA Probes
Species- or subspecies-specific DNA (including complementary dna; conserved genes, whole chromosomes, or whole genomes) used in hybridization studies in order to identify microorganisms, to measure dna-dna homologies, to group sub
Down-Regulation
A negative regulatory effect on physiological processes at the molecular, cellular, or systemic level.
Drug Carriers
Forms to which substances are incorporated to improve the delivery and the effectiveness of drugs.
Drug Delivery Systems
Systems for the delivery of drugs to target sites of pharmacological actions.
Drug Interactions
The action of a drug that may affect the activity, metabolism, or toxicity of another drug.
Drug Resistance
Diminished or failed response of an organism, disease or tissue to the intended effectiveness of a chemical or drug.
Drug Therapy
The use of drugs to treat a disease or its symptoms.
Drug Tolerance
Progressive diminution of the susceptibility of a human or animal to the effects of a drug, resulting from its continued administration.
Endocrine Disruptors
Exogenous agents, synthetic and naturally occurring, which are capable of disrupting the functions of the endocrine system including the maintenance of homeostasis and the regulation of developmental processes.
Enzyme Inhibitors
Compounds or agents that combine with an enzyme in such a manner as to prevent the normal substrate-enzyme combination and the catalytic reaction.
Enzyme Replacement Therapy
Therapeutic replacement or supplementation of defective or missing enzymes to alleviate the effects of enzyme deficiency (e.g., glucosylceramidase replacement for gaucher disease).
Estrogen Receptor Modulators
Substances that possess antiestrogenic actions but can also produce estrogenic effects as well.
Estrogen Replacement Therapy
The use of hormonal agents with estrogen-like activity in postmenopausal or other estrogen-deficient women to alleviate effects of hormone deficiency, such as vasomotor symptoms, dyspareunia, and progressive development of osteopo
Estrogens
Compounds that interact with estrogen receptors in target tissues to bring about the effects similar to those of estradiol.
Fluid Therapy
Therapy whose basic objective is to restore the volume and composition of the body fluids to normal with respect to water-electrolyte balance.
Free Radical Scavengers
Substances that eliminate free radicals.
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists
Compounds that stimulate the activity of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor.
Glucocorticoids
A group of corticosteroids that affect carbohydrate metabolism (gluconeogenesis, liver glycogen deposition, elevation of blood sugar), inhibit adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion, and possess pronounced anti-inflammatory activit
Growth Inhibitors
Endogenous or exogenous substances which inhibit the normal growth of human and animal cells or micro-organisms, as distinguished from those affecting plant growth (= plant growth regulators).
Hallucinogens
Drugs capable of inducing illusions, hallucinations, delusions, paranoid ideations, and other alterations of mood and thinking.
Hemagglutinins
Agents that cause agglutination of red blood cells.
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
Compounds that inhibit histone deacetylases.
Hormesis
Biphasic dose responses of cells or organisms (including microorganisms) to an exogenous or intrinsic factor, in which the factor induces stimulatory or beneficial effects at low doses and inhibitory or adverse effects at high dos
Hormones
Chemical substances having a specific regulatory effect on the activity of a certain organ or organs.
Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy
A cancer treatment that involves filling the abdominal cavity with heated chemotherapy drugs.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors
Drugs that block negative regulator immune checkpoint proteins (e.g., pd-1 receptor and ctla-4 antigen) thereby increasing suppressed immune activation in immunotherapies.
Immunosuppressive Agents
Agents that suppress immune function by one of several mechanisms of action.
Immunotoxins
Semisynthetic conjugates of various toxic molecules, including radioactive isotopes and bacterial or plant toxins, with specific immune substances such as immunoglobulins; monoclonal antibodies; and antigens.
Inappropriate Prescribing
The practice of administering medications in a manner that poses more risk than benefit, particularly where safer alternatives exist.
Induction Chemotherapy
Initial drug treatment designed to bring about remission induction.
Insulin Resistance
Diminished effectiveness of insulin in lowering blood sugar levels: requiring the use of 200 units or more of insulin per day to prevent hyperglycemia or ketosis.
Intravitreal Injections
The administration of substances into the vitreous body of the eye with a hypodermic syringe.
Ionophores
Chemical agents that increase the permeability of biological or artificial lipid membranes to specific ions.
Iontophoresis
Therapeutic introduction of ions of soluble salts into tissues by means of electric current.
Maintenance Chemotherapy
Treatment designed to help prevent a relapse of a disease following the successful primary treatments (induction chemotherapy and consolidation chemotherapy) with a long-term low-dose drug therapy.
Mass Drug Administration
Administration of a medication to at-risk individuals in a population without individual diagnosis.
Maximum Tolerated Dose
The highest dose of a biologically active agent given during a chronic study that will not reduce longevity from effects other than carcinogenicity.
Medication Errors
Errors in prescribing, dispensing, or administering medication with the result that the patient fails to receive the correct drug or the indicated proper drug dosage.
Medication Reconciliation
The formal process of obtaining a complete and accurate list of each patient's current home medications including name, dosage, frequency, and route of administration, and comparing admission, transfer, and/or discharge medication
Metabolic Clearance Rate
Volume of biological fluid completely cleared of drug metabolites as measured in unit time.
Micronutrients
Essential dietary elements or organic compounds that are required in only small quantities for normal physiologic processes to occur.
Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists
Drugs that bind to and block the activation of mineralocorticoid receptors by mineralocorticoids such as aldosterone.
Mineralocorticoids
A group of corticosteroids primarily associated with water and electrolyte balance.
Mitogens
Substances that stimulate mitosis and lymphocyte transformation.
Molecular Probes
A group of atoms or molecules attached to other molecules or cellular structures and used in studying the properties of these molecules and structures.
Molecular Targeted Therapy
Treatments with drugs which interact with or block synthesis of specific cellular components characteristic of the individual's disease in order to stop or interrupt the specific biochemical dysfunction involved in progression of
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors
A chemically heterogeneous group of drugs that have in common the ability to block oxidative deamination of naturally occurring monoamines.
Muscarinic Antagonists
Drugs that bind to but do not activate muscarinic receptors, thereby blocking the actions of endogenous acetylcholine or exogenous agonists.
Nanocapsules
Nanometer-sized, hollow, spherically-shaped objects that can be utilized to encapsulate small amounts of pharmaceuticals, enzymes, or other catalysts (Glossary of Biotechnology and Nanobiotechnology, 4th ed).
Narcotics
Agents that induce narcosis.
Neuromuscular Blocking Agents
Drugs that interrupt transmission of nerve impulses at the skeletal neuromuscular junction.
Neuroprotective Agents
Drugs intended to prevent damage to the brain or spinal cord from ischemia, stroke, convulsions, or trauma.
Neurosteroids
Endogenous compounds or drugs that affect neuronal excitability through modulation of specific ionotropic receptors (e.g., gaba-a receptors).
Off-Label Use
The practice of prescribing or using a drug or a vaccine outside the scope of the drug's official approved label as designated by a regulatory agency concerning the treatment of a particular disease or condition.
PCSK9 Inhibitors
Agents that inhibit Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (see proprotein convertase 9 (pcsk9)), an enzyme that plays an important role in the degradation of the LDL receptors.
Peptidomimetics
Compounds that are designed to mimic the 3D structure of a natural peptide or protein.
Pharmacokinetics
Dynamic and kinetic mechanisms of exogenous chemical drug liberation; absorption; biological transport; tissue distribution; biotransformation; elimination; and drug toxicity as a function of dosage, and rate of metabolism.
Phytoestrogens
Compounds derived from plants, primarily isoflavones that mimic or modulate endogenous estrogens, usually by binding to estrogen receptors.
Polypharmacy
The use of multiple drugs administered to the same patient, most commonly seen in elderly patients.
Premedication
Preliminary administration of a drug preceding a diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedure.
Progestins
Compounds that interact with progesterone receptors in target tissues to bring about the effects similar to those of progesterone.
Protective Agents
Synthetic or natural substances which are given to prevent a disease or disorder or are used in the process of treating a disease or injury due to a poisonous agent.
Protein Synthesis Inhibitors
Compounds which inhibit the synthesis of proteins.
Proton Pump Inhibitors
Compounds that inhibit H(+)-K(+)-exchanging atpase.
Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship
A quantitative prediction of the biological, ecotoxicological or pharmaceutical activity of a molecule.
Radiopharmaceuticals
Compounds that are used in medicine as sources of radiation for radiotherapy and for diagnostic purposes.
Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Inhibitors of reverse transcriptase (rna-directed dna polymerase), an enzyme that synthesizes DNA on an RNA template.
Sclerotherapy
Treatment of varicose veins, hemorrhoids, gastric and esophageal varices, and peptic ulcer hemorrhage by injection or infusion of chemical agents which cause localized thrombosis and eventual fibrosis and obliteration of the vesse
Self Medication
The self administration of medication not prescribed by a physician or in a manner not directed by a physician.
Serpins
A family of serine proteinase inhibitors which are similar in amino acid sequence and mechanism of inhibition but differ in their specificity toward proteolytic enzymes.
Siderophores
Low-molecular-weight compounds produced by microorganisms that aid in the transport and sequestration of ferric iron.
Structure-Activity Relationship
The relationship between the chemical structure of a compound and its biological or pharmacological activity.
Thrombolytic Therapy
Use of infusions of fibrinolytic agents to destroy or dissolve thrombi in blood vessels or bypass grafts.
Tissue Distribution
Accumulation of a drug or chemical substance in various organs (including those not relevant to its pharmacologic or therapeutic action).
Toxicokinetics
The quantitation of the body's metabolism of toxic xenobiotic compounds, as measured by the plasma concentration of the toxicant at various time points.
Trace Elements
A group of chemical elements that are needed in minute quantities for the proper growth, development, and physiology of an organism.
Up-Regulation
A positive regulatory effect on physiological processes at the molecular, cellular, or systemic level.
Vitamins
Organic substances that are required in small amounts for maintenance and growth, but which cannot be manufactured by the human body.