Schild plot

Schild plot is a graphical method used in pharmacology to study the effects of different drugs on biological systems. It was developed by the British pharmacologist G. A. B. Schild in the 1940s. The Schild plot is a useful tool for determining the potency of a drug and its possible interactions with other substances.

History

The Schild plot was first introduced by G. A. B. Schild in the 1940s. Schild was a British pharmacologist who made significant contributions to the field of receptor theory. His work on the Schild plot has been influential in the study of drug interactions and the development of new medications.

Methodology

The Schild plot is a type of dose-response curve that plots the logarithm of the concentration of an antagonist against the logarithm of the dose ratio minus one. The dose ratio is the ratio of the dose of an agonist that produces a specified response in the presence of an antagonist to the dose of the agonist that produces the same response in the absence of the antagonist.

The slope of the Schild plot gives the pA2 value, which is a measure of the potency of the antagonist. A slope of 1 indicates that the antagonist is competitive, while a slope different from 1 indicates that the antagonist is non-competitive.

Applications

Schild plots are widely used in pharmacology to study the effects of drugs on biological systems. They can be used to determine the potency of a drug, its possible interactions with other substances, and the nature of the drug-receptor interaction.

In addition to pharmacology, Schild plots are also used in other fields such as biochemistry and physiology to study the interactions between different biological molecules.

See also

• Dose-response relationship
• Pharmacodynamics
• Receptor (biochemistry)