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Pharmacy & Pharmacology vocabulary · Pharmacodynamics and Drug Action

Receptor

Meaning in pharmacy & pharmacology, with examples

/rɪˈsɛptər/nounCommon term

In pharmacy & pharmacology, receptor means: A protein on or inside a cell that a drug or a natural substance such as a hormone binds to, starting a change in how the cell works.

In Turkish: reseptör

How it is used

Receptors are named after what binds to them: beta-adrenergic, histamine H1 or mu opioid receptors. Drugs bind to, activate, stimulate or block receptors. Pharmacology students learn which receptors explain both the main effect and the side effects of a drug.

Example sentences

  1. Salbutamol acts on beta-2 receptors in the airways.

  2. Older antihistamines enter the brain and block receptors there, which is why they cause drowsiness.

Common collocations

  • bind to a receptor
  • block a receptor
  • receptor site
  • beta receptor
  • opioid receptor
  • agonistA drug that binds to a receptor and activates it, producing an effect similar to that of the body's own natural substance.
  • antagonistA drug that binds to a receptor without activating it and so blocks the effect of the body's own substances or of other drugs.
  • mechanism of actionThe specific way a drug produces its effect in the body, such as blocking an enzyme, activating a receptor or stopping bacteria from building cell walls.
  • pharmacodynamicsThe study of what a drug does to the body: how it produces its effects, which receptors or targets it acts on and how the effect changes with the dose.

More terms: Pharmacodynamics and Drug Action

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.