Drug help (individual project)

[TheAverageGuy]

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Hi guys. Recently, I was asked by my chemistry teacher to do a project called a gallery walk through. The project is what it means. We are allowed to talk about anything as long as we can relate it to chemistry.

I also work in a pharmacy as a pharmacy technician. I'm very curious about how drugs work, so, I told her I would do a report on pharmaceutics and tie it to chemistry (duh). Well, my problem is, where do you guys suggest I start. Basically, I have no understanding of drugs. I tried basic search engines such as google and ask.com, but I had no luck.

In class she was talking about how that it is the shape of the drug that determines the effects of a drug. This sounded kind of odd, but yet again, she is much smarter than I. If you guys could point me in the direction of some great sources or maybe even give me a little insight, this would be much appreciated.

As is now, I have no idea where to even start.

 

[bananaface]

try googling "structure activity relationship". something ought to pull up

 

[npage148]

something that is interesting and not too difficult is the different salicylates and their activity. something like acetylsalicylic acid=relavitly safe=aspirin, salicylic acid= gut rot and methlysalicylate=death, Bismuth subsalicylate=happy tummy. They are all very similar but are at the same time vastly different. Go into the History and so forth

I dont know what level chem it is, but you could also discuss the synthesis and hydrolysis of aspirin and how that plays into its properties and safety

 

[npage148]

Another more complex one would be how subsitution of side chains gives the beta-lactam antibiotics different activities, side effects, and ways to fight agaisnt bacterial resistance. Way more complex than my other 2 examples

OR......

how you have the basic Phenethylamine backbone and how additions to it create crazily different drugs that are all very important. pseudoepherine, phenylephrine, ephedra, methamphetamine, amphetamine, Cathinone, phenylpropanamine, epinephrine, dopamine and so forther. Once again, very similar but vastly different and moderately interesting. different uses, side effects, toxicities, addictions potentials. If you wanted to be badass you could also include a synthesis for crystal meth but I recommend against it

I love this, i could come up with these all days

 

[TheChemist]

SAR or structure activity relationship is a good thing to google. You can also google receptor ligand or medicinal chemistry. You may want to choose a specific drug like penicillin. Penicillin is interesting because it is a suicide inhibitor. This will allow you to show an electron pushing mechanism in your presentation. I'm assuming this is O-Chem.

 

[TheChemist]

If you wanted to be badass you could also include a synthesis for crystal meth but I recommend against it

I love this, i could come up with these all days

You could draw up the synthetic route to meth and to cocaine and explain why it's more cost efficient to synthetically make meth over cocaine. 🙂

 

[dgroulx]

You could just keep it simple with hydrophyllic and lipophyllic drug molecules. You can look at drug design and see how it gets absorbed, and what functional groups get removed for penetration into tissue.

 

[npage148]

SAR or structure activity relationship is a good thing to google. You can also google receptor ligand or medicinal chemistry. You may want to choose a specific drug like penicillin. Penicillin is interesting because it is a suicide inhibitor. This will allow you to show an electron pushing mechanism in your presentation. I'm assuming this is O-Chem.

Thats a hot idea, showing the binding to the active site of the protein with electron arrow flying all over the place. Or you can talk about beta-lactamase inhibitors and how they overcome resistance. Like the amoxicillin and clavulanic acid combo!. then you got 2 drugs with an enzyme. One is substrate and one is an in inhibitor and they both rock bacteria world wide! arrows all over the place.