Goodman and Gilman's The
Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
14th Edition
Author(s)Laurence Brunton; Bjorn Knollmann
Print ISBN: 9781264258079
,Question 1
A research team is investigating a medicinal plant that has been used
traditionally for centuries to relieve pain. They isolate several chemical
constituents and find that one compound produces analgesic effects in
an animal model. Which feature best illustrates the historical
foundation of natural-product drug discovery?
,A. Compounds were initially selected solely because their molecular
targets were already known
B. Biological effects observed in plants, animals, or humans could guide
identification of therapeutically useful compounds
C. Drug candidates were primarily generated by molecular docking
before extraction from plants
D. Compounds were selected only after demonstrating favorable
pharmacokinetics in humans
Correct Answer:
B. Biological effects observed in plants, animals, or humans could guide
identification of therapeutically useful compounds
Rationale:
Natural-product drug discovery historically relied heavily on observing
biological effects and then isolating active constituents, often before the
molecular mechanism was understood. This progression from
observation to isolation helped establish many important therapeutic
agents. Scribd
A is incorrect because early natural-product discovery generally
preceded modern target identification.
C is incorrect because molecular docking is a modern computational
approach rather than the traditional starting point for plant-based
discovery.
D is incorrect because human pharmacokinetic characterization occurs
much later in drug development.
Question 2
, A medicinal chemist explains that many contemporary drugs are better
described as “invented” rather than simply “discovered.” Which
statement best supports this distinction?
A. Modern drugs are rarely evaluated for biological activity
B. Most contemporary drug candidates are obtained unchanged from
medicinal plants
C. Many drug candidates are deliberately designed and repeatedly
optimized to satisfy multiple pharmacological and chemical
requirements
D. Modern drug discovery eliminates the need for experimental testing
Correct Answer:
C. Many drug candidates are deliberately designed and repeatedly
optimized to satisfy multiple pharmacological and chemical
requirements
Rationale:
Modern small-molecule discovery commonly involves iterative design,
synthesis, testing, and optimization rather than simply finding an
already useful compound in nature. Candidate molecules may need to
satisfy potency, selectivity, developability, safety, and other
requirements. Scribd
A is incorrect because biological testing remains fundamental to drug
discovery.
B is incorrect because contemporary discovery increasingly depends on
synthetic and rationally optimized compounds.
D is incorrect because computational prediction complements rather
than eliminates experimentation.