Overview
Agonists and antagonists are fundamental concepts in pharmacology that describe how drugs interact with receptors in the body. Agonists activate receptors to produce desired biological responses, while antagonists block these receptors, preventing any response. Understanding these interactions is cr...
Key Terms
Example: Morphine is an agonist that activates opioid receptors to relieve pain.
Example: Naloxone is an antagonist that blocks opioid receptors to reverse overdose effects.
Example: Beta-adrenergic receptors respond to adrenaline.
Example: Increased heart rate is a biological response to adrenaline.
Example: Combining an agonist and a partial agonist can enhance pain relief.
Example: An antagonist can block the effects of an agonist by occupying the receptor.