Biology: How Life Works 2e & LaunchPad for Biology: How Life Works (Twenty-Four Month Access)
Biology: How Life Works 2e & LaunchPad for Biology: How Life Works (Twenty-Four Month Access)
2nd Edition
ISBN: 9781319067793
Author: James Morris, Daniel Hartl, Andrew Knoll, Robert Lue, Melissa Michael, Andrew Berry, Andrew Biewener, Brian Farrell, N. Michele Holbrook
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
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Chapter 36, Problem 1QC
Summary Introduction

To determine:

The effect of prostaglandins on firing rate of nociceptors.

Concept introduction:

The rate at which impulses pass through neurons in response to a stimulus is called its firing rate. There are agents that can heighten this value by depolarization of receptors and there are agents that do the converse by repolarization of the receptors.

Expert Solution & Answer
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Explanation of Solution

Nociceptors are the neurons that sense physical stress or in other words pain. Aspirin and ibuprofen are drugs that reduce pain thus, they repolarize the nerves. They do so by inhibiting the synthesis of a chemical called prostaglandin.

Prostaglandins are lipid-based chemical compounds that function, hormone-like in the animal body. These are present in all the animal tissues. This explains their association with receptors, triggering the firing of receptors.

So, it can be inferred that aspirin and ibuprofen are antagonistic to prostaglandin. This implies that prostaglandins depolarize nociceptors and increase their firing rate.

Conclusion

Prostaglandins increase the firing rate of nociceptors.

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