ADME databases and their relevance MCQs With Answer

ADME databases and their relevance MCQs With Answer

ADME databases compile experimental and predicted data on Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion—core pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters vital for drug development and safety assessment. For B.Pharm students, understanding ADME databases (e.g., DrugBank, PubChem, ChEMBL, ADMETlab, pkCSM) helps interpret physicochemical properties, bioavailability, clearance, half‑life, CYP metabolism, transporter interactions, and toxicity predictions. These resources support in silico ADMET screening, QSAR modeling, IVIVE, and decision‑making in formulation and clinical dosing. Mastery of ADME data retrieval, interpretation, and limitations improves drug design, regulatory submissions, and experimental planning. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.

Q1. Which database is primarily known for linking detailed drug data with pharmacological information and clinical status?

  • PubChem
  • DrugBank
  • ChEMBL
  • UniProt

Correct Answer: DrugBank

Q2. Which ADME parameter is best described by the fraction of an administered dose that reaches systemic circulation unchanged?

  • Clearance
  • Volume of distribution
  • Bioavailability
  • Plasma protein binding

Correct Answer: Bioavailability

Q3. Which file format commonly used in ADME databases encodes chemical structures as line notations?

  • SDF
  • FASTQ
  • SMILES
  • CSV

Correct Answer: SMILES

Q4. Which experimental assay provides data on passive intestinal permeability often used in ADME databases?

  • Microsomal stability assay
  • Caco-2 permeability assay
  • hERG binding assay
  • Rodent LD50 test

Correct Answer: Caco-2 permeability assay

Q5. Which ADME descriptor indicates lipophilicity often correlated with membrane permeability and protein binding?

  • pKa
  • LogP
  • Cmax
  • CLint

Correct Answer: LogP

Q6. Which enzyme family is most commonly annotated in ADME databases for drug metabolism and clinically relevant drug–drug interactions?

  • UDP‑glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs)
  • Cytochrome P450s (CYPs)
  • Proteases
  • Kinases

Correct Answer: Cytochrome P450s (CYPs)

Q7. Which predicted ADMET tool provides machine‑learning based estimates for clearance, toxicity, and metabolic sites and is integrated in several databases?

  • BLAST
  • pkCSM
  • KEGG
  • GROMACS

Correct Answer: pkCSM

Q8. In IVIVE (in vitro–in vivo extrapolation), which in vitro measurement commonly used from databases is scaled to predict human hepatic clearance?

  • Caco-2 Papp
  • Intrinsic clearance (CLint) in human liver microsomes
  • hERG IC50
  • Solubility at pH 7.4

Correct Answer: Intrinsic clearance (CLint) in human liver microsomes

Q9. Which transport protein frequently annotated in ADME data influences oral absorption and can mediate drug efflux from enterocytes?

  • GLUT4
  • P-glycoprotein (P-gp)
  • Albumin
  • ACE2

Correct Answer: P-glycoprotein (P-gp)

Q10. Which ADME database is particularly useful for bioactivity data from medicinal chemistry and high‑throughput screening campaigns?

  • ChEMBL
  • ClinVar
  • RefSeq
  • Ensembl

Correct Answer: ChEMBL

Q11. Which parameter represents the extent of drug binding to plasma proteins and influences free drug concentration?

  • Fraction unbound (fu)
  • pKa
  • LogD at pH 2
  • hERG liability

Correct Answer: Fraction unbound (fu)

Q12. Which toxicity endpoint commonly found in ADME/Tox databases assesses potential cardiac arrhythmia risk?

  • LD50
  • hERG inhibition
  • Micronucleus formation
  • Skin irritation

Correct Answer: hERG inhibition

Q13. What does the ADMET acronym stand for when used in drug discovery databases?

  • Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, Toxicity
  • Activity, Dosage, Mutagenicity, Efficacy, Therapeutics
  • Administration, Delivery, Mechanism, Elimination, Testing
  • Affinity, Drug‑likeness, Metabolism, Evaluation, Toxicity

Correct Answer: Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion, Toxicity

Q14. Which experimental system gives metabolic stability data reflecting phase I enzyme activity commonly included in ADME datasets?

  • Human liver microsomes
  • Renal clearance assay
  • Intestinal biopsies
  • Skeletal muscle homogenates

Correct Answer: Human liver microsomes

Q15. Which database provides detailed metabolite information, reaction pathways, and enzyme annotations useful for metabolism studies?

  • PubMed
  • KEGG
  • ClinicalTrials.gov
  • ArXiv

Correct Answer: KEGG

Q16. Which ADME metric describes the hypothetical volume that would be needed to contain the total amount of drug in the body at the same concentration as in plasma?

  • Clearance (CL)
  • Volume of distribution (Vd)
  • Half‑life (t1/2)
  • Bioavailability (F)

Correct Answer: Volume of distribution (Vd)

Q17. When querying ADME databases for structure–property relationships, which descriptor is essential for acid–base behavior?

  • LogP
  • pKa
  • MW (molecular weight)
  • Polar surface area

Correct Answer: pKa

Q18. Which concept refers to the change in drug concentration over time in plasma and is a direct output used to compare ADME profiles?

  • MIC
  • Cmax and AUC
  • EC50
  • Solubility curve

Correct Answer: Cmax and AUC

Q19. For transporter and enzyme substrate annotation, which experimental data type is most valuable in ADME databases?

  • In vitro inhibition and substrate turnover assays
  • Patient questionnaires
  • Genomic sequencing only
  • UV absorbance spectra

Correct Answer: In vitro inhibition and substrate turnover assays

Q20. Which ADME property is directly affected by polar surface area (PSA) and influences blood–brain barrier penetration?

  • Permeability
  • Hepatic clearance
  • Renal secretion
  • Protein binding in plasma

Correct Answer: Permeability

Q21. Which public repository is useful for chemical structures and basic bioassay data and is often cross‑referenced in ADME resources?

  • PubChem
  • OMIM
  • GEO
  • PDB

Correct Answer: PubChem

Q22. When assessing metabolic liability, which in vitro system provides data on whole‑cell metabolism including phase II reactions?

  • Human hepatocytes
  • Bacterial cultures
  • Pure recombinant CYP only
  • Plasma protein binding assays

Correct Answer: Human hepatocytes

Q23. Which parameter in ADME databases indicates the time required for plasma concentration to decrease by half and depends on both clearance and volume of distribution?

  • Bioavailability
  • Half‑life (t1/2)
  • Intrinsic clearance
  • Permeability coefficient

Correct Answer: Half‑life (t1/2)

Q24. Which computational approach uses database entries to correlate chemical features with ADME outcomes to predict new compounds’ behavior?

  • QSAR modeling
  • X‑ray crystallography
  • Western blotting
  • Patch‑clamp recording

Correct Answer: QSAR modeling

Q25. Which database or tool specifically focuses on predicted ADME/Tox endpoints and is widely used for early screening?

  • ADMETlab
  • GenBank
  • ArrayExpress
  • PDBsum

Correct Answer: ADMETlab

Q26. Which factor is a common source of variability in ADME database values between studies?

  • Different experimental conditions and assay protocols
  • Intrinsic chemical identity of water
  • Universal standardization across all labs
  • Presence of magnetic fields

Correct Answer: Different experimental conditions and assay protocols

Q27. For predicting human drug–drug interactions, which data from ADME databases is most relevant?

  • Light absorbance spectra
  • CYP inhibition and induction profiles
  • Melting point only
  • Color of the formulation

Correct Answer: CYP inhibition and induction profiles

Q28. Which ADME descriptor is especially important for oral formulations because it affects dissolution and thus absorption rate?

  • Solubility at physiological pH
  • pKa at non‑physiological pH 13
  • Number of chiral centers
  • Crystal habit only

Correct Answer: Solubility at physiological pH

Q29. Which concept describes scaling in vitro metabolic clearance to predict in vivo hepatic clearance using physiological parameters?

  • Allometric scaling
  • In vitro–in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE)
  • Docking score normalization
  • Log‑transform regression

Correct Answer: In vitro–in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE)

Q30. When using ADME databases for regulatory submissions, which practice enhances credibility of predictions?

  • Relying solely on a single unvalidated prediction
  • Combining curated experimental data with validated in silico models
  • Ignoring assay metadata and conditions
  • Using outdated proprietary formats without documentation

Correct Answer: Combining curated experimental data with validated in silico models

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