Antagonist (pharmacology)

Antagonist (pharmacology)

An Antagonist in Pharmacology is a type of Drug that blocks or dampens a biological response by binding to and blocking a Receptor rather than activating it like an Agonist. They are sometimes called blockers; examples include alpha blockers, beta blockers, and calcium channel blockers.

Pronunciation

An·tag·o·nist | \ an-ˈta-gə-nist \

Etymology

The term Antagonist comes from the Greek word 'antagonistes', meaning 'opponent, competitor, enemy, rival' which is derived from 'anti-' meaning 'against' and 'agonizesthai' meaning 'to struggle'.

Types of Antagonists

There are several types of antagonists in pharmacology, including:

• Competitive antagonist - These drugs compete with the agonist for the binding site on the receptor. If the antagonist binds, it will block the agonist from binding and prevent its action.

• Non-competitive antagonist - These drugs bind to a different site on the receptor, which changes the receptor's shape and prevents the agonist from binding.

• Uncompetitive antagonist - These drugs bind to the receptor and the agonist at the same time, which prevents the agonist from having an effect.

• Inverse agonist - These drugs bind to the same receptor as an agonist but induce a pharmacological response opposite to that agonist.

Related Terms

• Agonist
• Receptor (biochemistry)
• Pharmacodynamics
• Pharmacokinetics
• Drug interaction

See Also

• List of drugs
• Pharmacology
• Pharmaceutical drug

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Antagonist (pharmacology)
• Wikipedia's article - Antagonist (pharmacology)

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