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The truth behind anti-infective drugs: Why are some drugs safer for humans?
In today's medical environment, the safety testing of anti-infective drugs has become a very important research topic. Scientists continue to explore the mechanisms of these drugs to determine how they effectively destroy pathogens without harming the body. Among them, the mechanism of action (MOA) and mode of action (MoA) of a drug are key to our understanding of how drugs interact with the human body.
A specific biochemical interaction of a drug reveals its pharmacological effect, and this interaction involves a specific molecular target, such as an enzyme or receptor.
The mechanism of action of drugs and their importance
Understanding the mechanism of action of new drugs is not only critical for drug development, but also can predict potential clinical safety issues. For example, drugs often cause toxicity problems when they affect cell membranes or electron transport chains, whereas targeting components of the cell wall is relatively safe because these structures do not exist in human cells. Through studies like this, scientists can target patients with precision medicine and determine which patients are most likely to benefit from specific treatments.
For example, the breast cancer drug trastuzumab specifically targets the HER2 protein, and doctors can determine whether a patient is a candidate for this treatment by testing the protein in tumor cells.
Methods for identifying mechanisms
A variety of methods can be used to identify a drug's mechanism of action, including microscopy, direct biochemical methods, computational inference methods, and multi-omics techniques. Microscopic observation methods can observe the phenotypic changes of biologically active compounds on target cells, while direct biochemical methods involve tracking the distribution of drugs in the body to find the proteins they target. Computational inference methods use computer pattern recognition to predict drug targets, while multi-omics techniques use various "omics" technologies (such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics) to identify potential drug targets.
Drugs with known mechanisms of action
For example, the mechanism of action of aspirin is to irreversibly inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX), thereby reducing the production of prostaglandins and thromboxane, further reducing pain and inflammation. This mechanism is not the same among all NSAIDs; aspirin is the only drug that irreversibly inhibits COX-1.
Drugs with unknown mechanisms
Although the mechanisms of action of some drugs remain unclear, this does not hinder their effectiveness. This means that although we don't know how these drugs interact with the receptors, they can still be effective in delivering their therapeutic effects.
The difference between mode of action and mechanism of action
In some literature, the terms mechanism of action and mode of action are used interchangeably, when in fact the two are different. The mode of action describes the functional or anatomical changes that occur when an organism is exposed to a substance, focusing on responses at the cellular level, while the mechanism of action focuses on the specific interaction between the drug and enzymes or receptors.
With the advancement of science and technology, the understanding of the mechanisms behind anti-infective drugs will be further deepened, which will not only help to improve the effectiveness of treatment, but also reduce potential side effects. Ultimately, can we expect to have a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of action of all anti-infective drugs in the near future to safeguard human health?
