Biochemical Mechanisms of Drug Action

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Abstract
Of the various areas of biochemistry which have been considered important to the study of drug action mechanisms, certain ones, according to current thought, seem most fundamental. First, knowledge of the chemical composition of membranes is critically important. All drugs must pass biological barriers, and many, probably more than now suspected, alter membrane function. Second, understanding of the chemical nature of receptors[long dash]here used in the broadest sense-is of basic importance. Whether a drug reacts with a physiological receptor, an enzyme, or a membrane, obviously it will attack only those sites with suitable chemical configurations. Third, the sequences of both chemical and physiological events initiated by a primary interaction must be recognized and correlated with drug action. Information of this kind can be useful in deducing fundamental mechanisms, although erroneous conclusions may be drawn.