- Allergy treatment
- Antimicrobials for systemic use
- Antiparasitic drugs
- Cardiovascular system
- Dermatology
- Drugs affecting metabolism
- Drugs used in sensory organ disorders
- Gastrointestinal tract
- Haemopoietic system and blood
- Locomotor system
- Nervous system
- Respiratory system
- Systemic hormones
- Urogenital system and Sexual hormones
Drugs affecting metabolism
- Metabolism overview
- Metabolism and homeostasis
As the environment of living organisms is constantly changing, the reactions of metabolism must be properly regulated to maintain a constant set of conditions within cells. This condition is called homeostasis. Metabolic regulation allows living organisms to respond to signals and interact actively with their environments. Metabolic regulation includes multiple levels. Intrinsic metabolic regulation means that metabolic pathway self-regulates to changes in the levels of products or substrates. Extrinsic metabolic regulation involves cells changing their metabolism in response to signals from other organs and cells. Most commonly hormones and growth factors appear as these signals transmitted through the receptors located on the surface of the cell. Then the signals are transmitted through the second massagers through the reactions of proteins phosphorylation. The good example of extrinsic regulation is glucose metabolism that is controlled by insulin hormone produced by pancreas gland. Insulin is produced and released in response to increased blood glucose levels. Another example of extrinsic regulation is influence of thyroid gland hormones on the processes of anabolism and catabolism in the cell.
Being a very complicated structure metabolism can be affected by a numerous of endogenous and exogenous factors. In a broad sense metabolic disorder is any diseases caused by an abnormal chemical reaction in the body's cells. Metabolic disorder includes also a system of metabolic regulation. Metabolism disorders can provoke synthesis of toxic compounds and deficiency of chemical needed for organism to work properly.
Most common examples of metabolic disorders include the following:
Diabetes type 1 and 2. Type 1 diabetes may occur when the pancreas does not produce or secrete enough insulin. Decreased insulin production increases glucose blood levels. The main symptoms of diabetes type 1 include: frequent urination, thirst, hunger, weigh loss. Over time diabetes may lead to kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness, cardiovascular diseases. Type 2 diabetes is associated when the organism is not able to respond properly to insulin. Diabetes is treated by diet, physical exercises ,insulin in injections or oral medications.
Other example of metabolic disorders include disorders of calcium metabolism leading to increased risk of bone fractures, blood and CNS disorders.
Insufficiency of vitamins in the organism provokes the development of many metabolic disorders and diseases.
