As the problem of drug resistance gradually intensifies, the focus of research and drug development has begun to shift to the combination of drug use.Through the combined therapy, scientists hope to reduce the resistance of bacteria or tumor cells to traditional drugs, thereby extending the effectiveness of the treatment.
The development of drug resistance mainly stems from mutations in microorganisms or tumor cells.And these mutations often cause a single drug to no longer effectively fight pathogens.
Traditionally, many drugs are treated in a single dose. Although this method performs well in the early stages, the pathogen gradually adapts to develop resistance over time.This has made the medical community aware that more innovative ways to solve this problem are needed.
The mechanistic effect of a drug refers to how a drug interacts with specific molecules in an organism, such as enzymes or receptors, to produce pharmacological effects.Understanding these mechanisms is key to drug development, especially in the development of anti-infective drugs, can predict potential clinical safety issues.
For the combined application of cancer and anti-infective drugs, knowing the way a certain drug acts on the cell structure can actually build a therapy that can attack multiple targets at the same time, fundamentally reducing the chance of drug resistance.
Determining the mechanism of action of a drug is a key step to significantly improve efficacy and reduce toxicity.From microscopic observation method, direct biochemical method to computational reasoning method, scientists have various methods to explore the true principle of drugs.
Under microscopy to observe changes in cells, such as changes in cell appearance, scientists can speculate on the possible biochemical reactions inside cells under drug stimulation.
Direct biochemical methods refer to finding target sites that can bind by labeling proteins or small molecules so that their performance in vivo is tracked.
Using computer recognition patterns, scientists can predict possible targets for small-molecule drugs and find new targets for existing or newly developed drugs.
Omics techniques, such as genomics and proteomics, can be used together to explore the relationship between drug molecules and their targets.
For example, the mechanism of action of aspirin is to irreversibly inhibit cyclooxygenase, thereby reducing the production of prostaglandins and achieving the effect of reducing pain and inflammation.However, there are still many drugs that have not been fully understood.
Even if the mechanism of action of the drugs is unclear, these drugs can still perform their effects and are widely used clinically.
In the medical community, there are many drugs that often get confused with their mechanism of action, but understanding the differences between the two is crucial.The mode of action emphasizes cell-level functional or anatomical changes caused by drugs, while the mechanism of action focuses on the interaction between the drug and enzymes or receptors in the organism.
As drug development gradually deepens, studying new combination therapy strategies will become an important measure to reduce drug resistance.Possible futures will focus on how to use the compounding of drugs to achieve optimal efficacy and reduce side effects.Can such a strategy bring us more effective treatment options?