Drug-Target Interaction

Biological Macromolecules as Drug Targets

Large biological macromolecules perform a wide variety of roles inside a living organism, and a drug typically works by interacting with one of these roles:

• Proteins that act as biological catalysts are called enzymes; a drug can speed up, slow down or block an enzyme-catalysed reaction.
• Proteins that are central to the body's cell-to-cell communication (signalling) system are called receptors; a drug can switch a receptor on or block it.
• Carrier proteins are responsible for transporting polar molecules across the otherwise hydrophobic cell membrane.
• Nucleic acids store the coded genetic information of the cell.
• Lipids and carbohydrates contribute to the structural architecture of the cell membrane. …