Question

A pharmaceutical company is developing a drug to treat neurological trauma. The drug delivery team has either a lipid-soluble version of the drug or a protein version of the drug. Which one is more likely to have an affect?

Answer 1

The lipid soluble version of the drug is more appropriate.

As the brain and nervous system are made up of many lipids, only lipid soluble drugs are ore likely to get concentrated in these tissues and can easily transported into the cell through the plasma membrane. So having lipid soluble drugs is effective in neurological conditions.

On the other hand, protein soluble drug can't be concentrated in these tissues and can't cross the plasma membrane easily... So it is less likely to be effective in treating neurological trauma.

Also remember lipid soluble drugs need to have transport molecules in the blood (as blood is aqueous solution and lipid drugs are hydrophobic)and protein soluble drugs can easily circulated in blood without transport molecules.

Hope this helps... Thank you!!!