Introduction to Biology

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Need help with my Biology assignments:

Part 1

In your assigned readings, you learned how cells utilize energy. Discuss the importance of electrons in the transfer of energy in living systems. Be sure to use a specific example in your discussion.

Be sure to use in text citation and provide references for your sources.

Write at least 200-300 words answer paper.

Part 2

You will research and present a drug of your choosing for this assignment. You are free to choose any drug as long as it works by inhibiting a specific enzyme; e.g., statins. You cannot, however, use statins.

Write a 2-3 page (500 – 750 words, 12 point font) paper including the following elements. Be sure to compose your work with your own words. Do not copy and paste from any source.

  • Identify the drug as synthetic or biological/natural and describe the chemical structure.
  • Describe how the chemical structure of the drug is necessary for function; i.e., cellular mechanism of action.
  • Identify the drug as either a competitive or allosteric inhibitor. Describe how this works.
  • Identify one or more adverse effects of the drug. Explain the effect based on the drug’s effect on metabolism.
  • Use in-text citation and provide source references for at least 3 sources. The textbook can be one source.

How do drugs work?

Many drugs, legal or not, work by either stimulating or inhibiting specific metabolic enzymes. As such, products of metabolic reactions can be selectively increased or decreased depending on the drug’s mechanism of action in the cell. In your readings, you learned that statins are a class of drugs used to reduce cholesterol levels. Their mechanism of action is to inhibit the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. HMG-CoA reductase is the enzyme that synthesizes cholesterol from lipids in the body. By inhibiting this enzyme, the levels of cholesterol synthesized in the body can be reduced.