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Biology Investigatory Project Class 12 - DRUGS

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CBSE Investigatory

Project
Biology

DEVANSH TAKKKAR
XII-B
INDEX
S.No. Content Page No.
1 Certificate 2
2 Acknowledgement 3
3 Aim/Objective 4
4 Drugs Overview 5
5 Alcohol 6
6 Cocaine 8
7 Nicotine 11
8 Methamphetamine 13
9 Cannabis/Weed/ 16
Marijuana
10 Heroin/ Diamorphine 29
11 Bibliography 21

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Certificate
This is to certify that this Biology Investigatory project
on the topic ‘Drug Abuse, Action mechanism and
Treatment’ has been successfully completed by
Devansh Takkar of class XII-B under the guidance of Mrs.
Kriti Bajaj. In particular fulfillment of curriculum of CBSE
leading to the award of Annual Examination of the year
2019-2020.

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Acknowledgement
I have taken efforts in this project. However, It would
have been impossible without the support and efforts
of many individuals.
I would like to thank my Principal Mr. Paramjit Singh and
school for providing me with facilities required to de my
project.
I am highly indebted to my biology teacher Mrs. Kriti
Bajaj for her invaluable guidance which has sustained
my efforts in all the stages of this project work. I would
also like to thank my Parents for their continuous
support and encouragement. My thanks and
appreciation also go to my fellow classmates and the
laboratory assistant in developing the project and to the
people who have willingly helped me out with their
abilities.

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Objective

 To study drugs,
their Effects and
Mechanism of Action

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What are Drugs?
A drug is any substance that causes a change in an organism's
physiology or psychology when consumed.
Drugs may be legal (e.g. alcohol, caffeine and tobacco) or illegal (e.g.
cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin).

What causes drug addiction?


Drug addiction, also called substance use disorder, is a disease that
affects a person's brain and behavior and leads to an inability to
control the use of a legal or illegal drug or medication. Substances such
as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When
you're addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it
causes.
Drug addiction can start with experimental use of a recreational drug
in social situations, and, for some people, the drug use becomes more
frequent. For others, particularly with opioids, drug addiction begins
with exposure to prescribed medications, or receiving medications
from a friend or relative who has been prescribed the medication.
As time passes, you may need larger doses of the drug to get high.
Soon you may need the drug just to feel good. As your drug use
increases, you may find that it's increasingly difficult to go without the
drug. Attempts to stop drug use may cause intense cravings and make
you feel physically ill (withdrawal symptoms)

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Alcohol
Overview
Alcohol, also known by its chemical name ethanol, is a
psychoactive substance that is the active ingredient in drinks
such as beer, wine, and distilled spirits (hard liquor). It is one
of the oldest and most common recreational substances,
causing the characteristic effects of alcohol intoxication
("drunkenness"). Among other effects, alcohol produces a
mood lift and euphoria, decreased anxiety, increased
sociability, sedation, impairment of cognitive, memory,
motor, and sensory function, and generalized depression of
central nervous system function.
Alcohol has been produced and consumed by humans for its
psychoactive effects for almost 10,000 years. Drinking alcohol
is generally socially acceptable and is legal in most countries,
unlike with many other recreational substances. However,
there are often restrictions on alcohol sale and use, for
instance a minimum age for drinking and laws against public
drinking and drinking and driving.

Effects
 Central nervous system impairment
 Gastrointestinal effects
 Brain damage
 Liver diseases
 Cancer and Birth defects

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Mechanism of Action

The Chemical Breakdown of Alcohol

The chemical name for alcohol is ethanol (CH3CH2OH). The body


processes and eliminates ethanol in separate steps. Chemicals called
enzymes help to break apart the ethanol molecule into other
compounds (or metabolites), which can be processed more easily by
the body. Some of these intermediate metabolites can have harmful
effects on the body.
Most of the ethanol in the body is broken down in the liver by an
enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which transforms ethanol
into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), a known
carcinogen. However, acetaldehyde is generally short-lived; it is quickly
broken down to a less toxic compound called acetate (CH3COO-) by
another enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). Acetate then
is broken down to carbon dioxide and water, mainly in tissues other
than the liver.

Alcohol works in the brain primarily by increasing the effects


of a neurotransmitter called γ-aminobutyric acid, or GABA.
This is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, and
by facilitating its actions, alcohol suppresses the activity of the
central nervous system. The substance also directly affects a
number of other neurotransmitter systems including those of
glutamate, glycine, acetylcholine, and serotonin. The

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pleasurable effects of alcohol ingestion are the result of
increased levels of dopamine and endogenous opioids in the
reward pathways of the brain.

Cocaine
Overview
Cocaine, also known as coke, is a strong stimulant mostly used
as a recreational drug. It is commonly snorted, inhaled as
smoke, or dissolved and injected into a vein. Mental effects
may include loss of contact with reality, an intense feeling of
happiness, or agitation.
Effects begin within seconds to minutes of use and last
between five and ninety minutes. Cocaine has a small number
of accepted medical uses such as numbing and decreasing
bleeding during nasal surgery.
Cocaine is the second most frequently used illegal drug
globally, after cannabis. Between 14 and 21 million people use
the drug each year. Use is highest in North America followed
by Europe and South America. Between one and three percent
of people in the developed world have used cocaine at some
point in their life. In 2013, cocaine use directly resulted in
4,300 deaths, up from 2,400 in 1990. Cocaine was first isolated
from the leaves in 1860.Since 1961, the international Single
Convention on Narcotic Drugs has required countries to make
recreational use of cocaine a crime.

Effects
SHORT TERM:

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 Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body
temperature
 Disturbed sleep patterns
 Hallucinations, hyper excitability, irritability
 Nausea
 Intense drug craving
LONG TERM:

 Depression
 Intense drug craving
 Respiratory failure if smoked
 Severe tooth decay
 Sexual problems, reproductive damage and
infertility (for both men and women)

Mechanism of Action
The brain’s mesolimbic dopamine system, its reward pathway,
is stimulated by all types of reinforcing stimuli, such as food,
sex, and many drugs of abuse, including cocaine. This pathway
originates in a region of the midbrain called the ventral
tegmental area and extends to the nucleus accumbens, one of
the brain’s key reward areas.

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In the normal communication process, dopamine is released
by a neuron into the synapse (the small gap between two
neurons), where it binds to specialized proteins called
dopamine receptors on the neighboring neuron. By this
process, dopamine acts as a chemical messenger, carrying a
signal from neuron to neuron.

Cocaine in the brain: In the normal neural communication


process, dopamine is released by a neuron into the synapse,
where it can bind to dopamine receptors on neighboring
neurons. Normally, dopamine is then recycled back into the
transmitting neuron by a specialized protein called the
dopamine transporter. If cocaine is present, it attaches to the
dopamine transporter and blocks the normal recycling
process, resulting in a buildup of dopamine in the synapse,
which contributes to the pleasurable effects of cocaine.

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Nicotine
Overview
Nicotine dependence ― also called tobacco dependence ― is
an addiction to tobacco products caused by the drug nicotine.
Nicotine dependence means you can't stop using the
substance, even though it's causing you harm.
Nicotine produces physical and mood-altering effects in your
brain that are temporarily pleasing. These effects make you
want to use tobacco and lead to dependence. At the same
time, stopping tobacco use causes withdrawal symptoms,
including irritability and anxiety.
While it's the nicotine in tobacco that causes nicotine
dependence, the toxic effects of tobacco result from other
substances in tobacco. Smokers have much higher rates of
heart disease, stroke and cancer than nonsmokers do.

Effects
 Lung cancer and other lung diseases
 Heart and circulatory system problems
 Diabetes
 Infertility and impotence
 Pregnancy and newborn complications
 Teeth and gum disease
 Eye problems

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Mechanism of Action
Traditional cigarettes are the most common delivery device
for nicotine.[citation needed]. Nicotine can also be delivered
via other tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, snus,
pipe tobacco, hookah, all of which can produce nicotine
dependence.

Nicotine is a stimulant
drug that acts as an
agonist at nicotinic
acetylcholine receptors.
These are ionotropic
receptors composed up
of five homomeric or
heteromeric subunits.
In the brain, nicotine
binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on dopaminergic
neurons in the cortico-limbic pathways. This causes the
channel to open and allow conductance of multiple cations
including sodium, calcium, and potassium. This leads to
depolarization, which activates voltage-gated calcium
channels and allows more calcium to enter the axon terminal.
Calcium stimulates vesicle trafficking towards the plasma
membrane and the release of dopamine into the synapse.
Dopamine binding to its receptors is responsible the euphoric
and addictive properties of nicotine. Nicotine also binds to
nicotinic acetylcholine receptors on the chromaffin cells in the
adrenal medulla. Binding opens the ion channel allowing influx
of sodium, causing depolarization of the cell, which activates
voltage-gated calcium channels. Calcium triggers the release
of epinephrine from intracellular vesicles into the
bloodstream, which causes vasoconstriction, increased blood
pressure, increased heart rate, and increased blood sugar.

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Methamphetamine
Overview
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant
that affects the central nervous system. Crystal
methamphetamine is a form of the drug that looks like glass
fragments or shiny, bluish-white rocks. It is chemically similar
to amphetamine, a drug used to treat attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a sleep
disorder.
Other common names for methamphetamine include blue,
crystal, ice, meth, and speed.

Effects

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 extreme weight
loss
 severe dental
problems ("meth
mouth")
 intense itching,
leading to skin sores from scratching
 anxiety
 changes in brain
structure and
function
 sleeping problems
 violent behavior
 paranoia—extreme
and unreasonable
distrust of others
 Hallucinations—sensations and images
that seem real though they aren't.

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Mechanism of Action

In contrast to cocaine, which is quickly removed from and


almost completely metabolized in the body,
methamphetamine has a much longer duration of action, and
a larger percentage of the drug remains unchanged in the
body. Methamphetamine therefore remains in the brain
longer, which ultimately leads to prolonged stimulant effects.
Although both methamphetamine and cocaine increase
levels of dopamine, administration of methamphetamine in
animal studies leads to much higher levels of dopamine,
because nerve cells respond differently to the two drugs.
Cocaine prolongs dopamine actions in the brain by blocking
the re-absorption (re-uptake) of the neurotransmitter by
signaling nerve cells. At low doses, methamphetamine also
blocks the re-uptake of dopamine, but it also increases the
release of dopamine, leading to much higher concentrations

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in the synapse (the gap between neurons), which can be toxic
to nerve terminals.

Cannabis/Weed/
Marijuana
Overview
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a
psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical
or recreational purposes. The main psychoactive part of
cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of 483 known
compounds in the plant,[20] including at least 65 other
cannabinoids. Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing,
within food, or as an extract.

Effects
 Pregnancy: Marijuana is UNSAFE when
taken by mouth or smoked during
pregnancy. Marijuana passes through the
placenta and can slow the growth of the
fetus. Marijuana use during pregnancy is
also associated with childhood leukemia and
abnormalities in the fetus.

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 Heart diseases
 A weakened immune system
 Lung diseases
 Seizure diseases

Mechanism of Action
THC’s chemical structure is similar to the brain
chemical anandamide. Similarity in structure allows the body
to recognize THC and to alter normal brain communication.
Endogenous cannabinoids such as anandamide (see figure)
function as neurotransmitters because they send chemical
messages between nerve cells (neurons) throughout the
nervous system. They affect brain areas that influence
pleasure, memory, thinking, concentration, movement,
coordination, and sensory and time perception. Because of
this similarity, THC is able to attach to molecules
called cannabinoid receptors on neurons in these brain areas
and activate them, disrupting various mental and physical
functions and causing the effects described earlier. The
neural communication network that uses these cannabinoid
neurotransmitters, known as the endocannabinoid system,
plays a critical role in the nervous system’s normal
functioning, so interfering with it can have profound effects.

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THC’s chemical
structure is similar
to the brain
chemical
anandamide.
Similarity in
structure allows
drugs to be
recognized by the
body and to alter normal brain communication.

THC, acting through cannabinoid receptors, also activates the


brain’s reward system, which includes regions that govern the
response to healthy pleasurable behaviors such as sex and
eating. Like most other drugs that people misuse, THC
stimulates neurons in the reward system to release the
signaling chemical dopamine at levels higher than typically
observed in response to natural stimuli. This flood of
dopamine contributes to the pleasurable "high" that those
who use recreational marijuana seek.

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Heroin/ Diamorphine
Overview
Heroin, also known as diamorphine among other names, is an
opioid most commonly used as a recreational drug for its
euphoric effects. It is used medically in several countries to
relieve pain or in opioid replacement therapy. It is typically
injected, usually into a vein, but it can also be smoked,
snorted, or inhaled. The onset of effects is usually rapid and
lasts for a few hours.
Heroin was first made by C. R. Alder Wright in 1874 from
morphine, a natural product of the opium poppy.
Internationally, heroin is controlled under Schedules I and IV
of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, and it is generally
illegal to make, possess, or sell without a license. About 448
tons of heroin were made in 2016.In 2015, Afghanistan
produced about 66-percent of the world's opium. Illegal

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heroin is often mixed with other substances such as sugar,
starch, quinine, or strychnine.

Effects
 Repeated heroin use changes the physical
structure and physiology of the brain, creating
long-term imbalances in neuronal and hormonal
systems that are not easily reversed.
 affect decision-making abilities
 affects ability to regulate behavior

Mechanism of Action
The blood brain permeability of heroin is about 10 times that
of morphine. Once heroin crosses the blood brain barrier, it
is hydrolyzed into 6-acetyl morphine and morphine, which
then quickly bind to opioid receptors. The “rush” felt by
heroin users is the sensation caused by the rapid entry of
heroin into the brain and the attachment of 6-acetyl
morphine and morphine to opioid receptors. Opioids in
general can change the neurochemical activity in the brain
stem causing a depression in breathing. In the limbic system
opioids cause an increase in feelings of pleasure, and have
the ability to block pain signals sent through the spinal cord.

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When heroin is injected or smoked, users typically feel two
types of euphoric effects–a “rush” and a “high.” The rush
usually lasts one to two minutes and occurs right after the
drug is administered. It is described as an intense orgasmic
feeling that is felt throughout the body, especially in the
abdomen. Following the rush is a high that can last four to
six hours. The feeling is described as warm and pleasant,
with indifference to internal and external stimuli. The
following characterizations may occur during a hig:
 “Go on the nod” – sitting in a chair or lying in bed,
gazing at a newspaper or the television while dozing and
rousing alternatively
 “Drive” – talking constantly, boasting, and busying
oneself with chores
 Alternately nod and drive
 Function normally – this may lead to an observer not
detecting heroin use.

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Bibliography
 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/drug-
addiction/symptoms-causes/syc-20365112
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_(drug)
 https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa72/aa72.htm
 https://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/cocaine/effects-of-
cocaine.html
 https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-
reports/cocaine/how-does-cocaine-produce-its-effects
 https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/nicotine-
dependence/symptoms-causes/syc-20351584
 https://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00184
 https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/methamph
etamine
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(drug)#Short_term

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 https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-
947/marijuana
 https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-
reports/marijuana/how-does-marijuana-produce-its-effects
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroin
 https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-
reports/heroin/what-are-long-term-effects-heroin-use
 https://methoide.fcm.arizona.edu/infocenter/index.cfm?stid=1
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