Search results for "ethanol mechanism of action"

Role of intracellular calcium on ethanol-induced activation of protein kinase A: molecular model and behavioral consequences

2014

Ethanol can be considered a weak drug when compared to most other drugs of abuse. The molecule of ethanol has no asymmetric carbon. Being so, it does not interact with the biological substrates in a stereoselective way as most of the receptor ligand drugs do. Moreover, ethanol has a very simple chemical structure. Thus, the hydroxyl group provides a dipole that allows the formation of hydrogen bonds. It is the formation of hydrogen bonds that makes ethanol soluble in water. In contrast, ethanol presents an aliphatic moiety that provides a lipophilic group that can interact with non-polar cellular elements. However, contrary to what it is generally believed, ethanol has low lipid solubility.…