Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics distinguishes how modulators alter a drug-receptor interaction: an agonist binds an orthosteric receptor site to produce a response, a competitive inhibitor binds the same site to block the agonist, and allosteric modulators (activators or inhibitors) bind a distinct site on the receptor to respectively enhance or suppress the response without displacing the agonist. These distinctions are read from dose-response curves, where competitive inhibition shifts the curve rightward (higher dose needed for the same effect) while allosteric inhibition lowers the maximum achievable response regardless of dose. This is foundational receptor pharmacology, underpinning how cell membrane structures (phospholipid bilayer, integral/peripheral membrane proteins, glycoproteins, glycolipids, protein channels) mediate drug-cell interactions.
Pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics distinguishes how modulators alter a drug-receptor interaction: an agonist binds an orthosteric receptor site to produce a response, a competitive inhibitor binds th…