Pharmacodynamics · Pharmacology

Which of the following describes an 'Inverse Agonist'?

  1. A drug that blocks the effect of an agonist but has no effect on its own
  2. A drug that binds to an allosteric site to increase agonist affinity
  3. A drug that reduces the constitutive (basal) activity of a receptor
  4. A drug that binds covalently and irreversibly to the active site
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Correct answer: A drug that reduces the constitutive (basal) activity of a receptor

Many receptors exhibit basal signaling activity even in the absence of a ligand. Inverse agonists bind to these receptors and shift the equilibrium toward the inactive state, reducing that baseline activity.

Difficulty: Medium Question 4 of 20

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