Quiz: Do You Know Pharmacology Facts?

#1. What is the branch of pharmacology that studies how the body affects medicines?

A. Pharmacy B. Pharmacodynamics C. Pharmacodynamics D. Pharmacokinetics

The correct answer is D. Pharmacokinetics is the study of how the body acts on a medicine, including how it gets into the body, to the active site, and out of the body.

#2. What is the branch of pharmacology that studies the effects of medicines on the body?

A. Pharmacy B. Pharmacodynamics C. Pharmacodynamics D. Pharmacokinetics

The correct answer is B. Pharmacodynamics is the study of how a medicine acts in the body—both at its intended target and throughout all the organs and tissues in the body.

#3. What is a branch of pharmacology that studies how a person’s DNA affects their response to medicine?

A. Pharmacy B. Pharmacodynamics C. Pharmacogenetics D. Pharmacokinetics

The correct answer is C. Pharmacogenetics is the study of how a single gene affects the body’s response to medicine. (The related branch of pharmacogenomics is the study of how an entire genome affects that response.)

#4. For a medicine to be effective, it must get into your body (absorption), get to the active site (distribution), and eventually leave your body (excretion). These are three of the four main pharmacokinetic properties described in the term ADME. What's the fourth?

A. Meiosis B. Metabolism C. Microbiota D. Mutation

The correct answer is B. The term ADME includes absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. Enzymes often metabolize medicines, breaking them down into metabolites that are more easily excreted from the body.

#5. Most medicines work by binding to a molecular target and blocking or supporting its natural activity. Medicines that block an enzyme's actions are called inhibitors. What are medicines called that block receptors?

A. Agonists B. Electrolytes C. Haploids D. Antagonists

The correct answer is D. Antagonists bind to receptors and block other molecules from activating them. Molecules that activate receptors, even partially, are called agonists.

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National Institute of
General Medical Sciences

National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Biomedical Beat Blog

#1. What is the branch of pharmacology that studies how the body affects medicines?

#2. What is the branch of pharmacology that studies the effects of medicines on the body?

#3. What is a branch of pharmacology that studies how a person’s DNA affects their response to medicine?

#4. For a medicine to be effective, it must get into your body (absorption), get to the active site (distribution), and eventually leave your body (excretion). These are three of the four main pharmacokinetic properties described in the term ADME. What's the fourth?

#5. Most medicines work by binding to a molecular target and blocking or supporting its natural activity. Medicines that block an enzyme's actions are called inhibitors. What are medicines called that block receptors?

About the Author

Rachel Crowley