CHEMISTRY: MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY

CHEMISTRY: MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY

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Come On Let us dive into the ocean of General Science,

• Medicinal chemistry involves the design, synthesis and development of pharmaceutical drugs
• Compounds used as medicines are overwhelmingly organic compounds including small molecules and biopolymers. However, some inorganic compounds and metals have been found to have medicinal properties as well

Classes of drugs

Class of drug	Application	Example	Notes
Antipyretics	Reduce body temperature	Aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen)	Antipyretics cause the hypothalamus to override an increase in temperature Taking antipyretics in empty stomach can cause ulcer
Analgesics	Pain relief	Paracetamol Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) Morphine	Some antipyretics act as analgesics as well Some narcotics (heroin, morphine, marijuana) can also act as analgesics
Tranquilizers	Induce sedation	Barbiturates, antihistamines	Sedatives cause sleep, poor judgement, slow reflexes Excessive use can cause unconsciousness and even death
Antiseptics	Reduce possibility of infection	Boric acid, hydrogen peroxide, iodine	Antiseptics are applied externally to living tissues Antiseptics also reduce body odour caused due to bacterial decomposition They are used in breath freshners and deodorants
Antibiotics	Kill bacteria	Penicillin, gramicidin, amoxicillin, streptomycin	An antibiotic is defined as a substance produced by a microorganism that kills other microorganisms Antibiotics are considered life-saving drugs
Diuretics	Increases rate of urination	Amiloride, triamterene
Vasodilators	Widen blood vessels	Histamine, nitric oxide	Decrease blood pressure Increase blood flow
Vasoconstrictors	Narrow blood vessels Staunch blood loss due to haemorrhage	Antihistamines, cocaine, LSD, caffeine	Increase blood pressure Decrease blood flow Make skin look paler because less blood reaches the skin
Anaesthetics	Cause loss of sensation	Cocaine, nitrous oxide, halothane	General anaesthetics cause a loss of consciousness Local anaesthetics cause loss of sensation in a specific part of the body
Antifungals	Fungal diseases like ringworm, athlete’s foot, meningitis	Ketoconazole, benzoic acid, neem seed oil, tea tree oil	Since both fungi and human cells are eukaryotes, the possibility of side effects is higher than in anti-bacterial drugs (like antibiotics)
Antivirals (Antiretrovirals)	Inhibit growth of virus	Zedovudine, lamivudine	Unlike antibiotics, antiviral drugs do not destroy target microbes but only inhibit their growth Designing antiviral drugs is difficult because virus use host’s cells to replicate Some virus, like influenza and HIV, mutate rapidly which means they can be treated with antivirals only and not be prevented by vaccines Antiretrovirals are a subclass of antivirals that treat retroviruses such as HIV

Some important common drugs

Drug	Classification	Application	Notes
Penicillin	Antibiotic	Syphilis, staphylococcal infections (food poisoning)	Narrow spectrum antibiotic (treats only a narrow range of diseases)
Zedovudine	Antiviral	HIV
Lamivudine	Antiviral	Hepatitis B
Streptomycin	Antibiotic	Tuberculosis
Erythromycin	Antibiotic	Respiratory tract infections
Ciprofloxacin	Antibiotic	Urinary tract infections, common pneumonia, myoplasmal infections	Broad spectrum antibiotic
Amoxicillin	Antibiotic	Wide range of infections	Broad spectrum
Tetracycline	Antibiotic	Cholera
Chloroquine	Antibiotic	Malaria
Aspirin	Analgesic, Antipyretic	Fever, pain	One of the most widely used medications in the world
Paracetamol (Acetaminophen)	Analgesic, antipyretic	Fever, pain

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JOHAR