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PHARMACY 4600

Pharmacology Laboratory 2, 3, and 4 Report This laboratory report on the characterization of acetylcholine receptors combines data obtained from the computer simulation experiments using the virtual cat and the laboratory experiment u t i l i z i n g ra t s toma ch f u nd us smooth muscle. To receive full credit, the laboratory report must contain the following sections with the required information:

1. Introduction (2 points):

The introduction should state the purpose of each experiment:

State the goal of the experiments. Provide a general description of the experimental strategy to accomplish the goal.

2. Methods (4 points):

Briefly describe the setup for the rat stomach fundus and virtual cat experiments. For each experiment provide:

A general description of how the experiments were performed. Drugs and doses/concentrations utilized in each experiment.

show an example of how different additive concentrations of drugs were calculated in the rat stomach fundus

show the formula for converting atropine and tubocurarine doses (mg/kg) to molar concentrations (for the Schild analysis) in the virtual cat lab

A general description of how data were analyzed.

3. Results (48 points): Rat Stomach Fundus This section should have the three graphs (4 points each) described in the Data Analysis section (see page 8) of the instructions for this laboratory. Each graph should include:

A sequential number. A title. Labels for x and y axis, include units. Mean values and associated standard error values should be plotted. A one to two sentence conclusion of what each graph shows.

2

Virtual Cat This section should have the 9 graphs (4 points each) described in the Data Analysis section (see pages 8 and 9) of the instructions for this laboratory. Each graph should include:

A sequential number. A title. Labels for x and y axis, include units. Mean values and associated standard error values should be plotted. A one to two sentence conclusion of what each graph shows.

4. Discussion (16 points):

Summary Table and Drug Targets

Prepare a table (Table #1) (8 points) that shows the effect of every drug used in these experiments. State the conclusions you reached from analyzing the data in the table, including the target (receptor) for each drug and the action that drug has on the target. Conclusions can be summarized using a separate table (Table #2) (8 points).

5. Discussion Questions (10 points):

Provide an answer and/or discussion for the following questions (2 points per question):

Are the two pA2 values you calculated for atropine close to the same value or very different? Are the two pA2 values you calculated for tubocurarine the same value or very different? According to what we know about drug receptor theory, should they be the same or different?

Is atropine a competitive or a non-competitive antagonist of acetylcholine-induced responses? How did you reach this conclusion?

Is tubocurarine a competitive or a non-competitive antagonist of acetylcholine-induced responses? How did you reach this conclusion?

How consistent are the results/conclusions comparing the cat heart rate experiment and the ra t s t o m a c h f u n d us s m o o t h m u s c le c o n t ra c t i o n e xp e r im e n t ? Which, if either, of these two experiments would you consider to more rigorous? Why?

Provide an explanation for the difference in response to acetylcholine injected into the two different sites in the virtual cat experiment.