In: Biology
Please read the question carefully and relate the situation to the type of antagonist with reasoning
During anaphylaxis, massive quantities of histamine are released, causing vasodilation that leads to bronchoconstriction.
The emergency treatment for anaphylaxis is adrenaline, which causes vasoconstriction that leads to bronchodilation.
What type of antagonist/antagonism does this represent?
(Physiological, pharmacokinetic, chemical, irreversible,
competitive).
The thing that confuses me is how to come to the conclusion of what the drug is doing? I'm wondering does adrenaline react with the histamine by chemically binding to it (chemical antagonism), does adrenaline work by eliminating the substance through metabolic means (pharmacokinetic), is it physiological antagonism because two systems are working to oppose eachother? Or does adrenaline work as an antagonist on the cell to block action of histamine that is already bound to the cell?
And how do we come to that conclusion?
There are several types of antagonism
1. Physical antagonism: its based on physical properties of the drug such as charcoal adsorbing alkaloids.
2. Chemical antagonism: Where the nullification of the effect of one drug on administration is achieved by a chemical reaction such as neutralization so an inactive product is formed.
3. Pharmakokinetic antagonism: this type involves binding of the drug to a receptor in either a competitive, non competitive or irreversible way. Depending on the subtype, the receptor of the two drugs can be the same or different.
4. Physiological antagonism: The two drugs act on different receptors or by different mechanisms, but have opposite effects on the same physiological function
Histamine and adrenaline are physiological antagonists. They act on different receptors. H1 receptor in case of histamine and adrenergic receptor in case of adrenaline and they affect the same physiological function in the opposite direction. histamine has several effects on physiology. In the lungs however it causes bronchoconstriction. adrenaline too similarly has several effects on many organ systems, but in lungs it causes vasodilatation, opposing the effect of histamine.
Moreover histamine causes blood vessels to dilate causing a rapid fall in blood pressure. adrenaline also increases heart contractility and vasoconstriction which aids in normalizing BP