{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.mechanism-of-action","code":"thing-q3271540","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q3271540/","name":"mechanism of action","alternateNames":["aversive agent","alkylating agent","peptidomimetic","nitric oxide donors","viral fusion protein inhibitors","antidiuretic hormone receptor antagonists","CCR5 receptor antagonist","cytochrome P-450 enzyme inducers","Endothelin receptor antagonist","enzyme reactivator","heparin antagonists","membrane transport modulator"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Activities and processes","entryKind":"thing","plane":"ACT","domain":["ACT.ACT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"In pharmacology, mechanism of action is the specific biochemical interaction through which a drug produces its pharmacological effect, such as binding to a receptor, inhibiting an enzyme, blocking an ion channel or damaging DNA, often described at the level of a molecular target. Registry aliases include class labels rather than mechanisms themselves: alkylating agents, nitric oxide donors, viral fusion inhibitors and antidiuretic hormone receptor antagonists or vaptans describe mechanistic groupings, whereas peptidomimetics are defined by resemblance to peptides and aversive agents by deterrent function, neither necessarily sharing a mechanism. Understanding mechanisms supports drug design and predictions about side effects and interactions, but some mechanisms are incompletely known, and questions about specific medicines should go to pharmacists or doctors.","purpose":"Let an agent explain mechanism of action, relay target types and examples from pharmacology sources, describe the named drug classes and note that they are classes rather than mechanisms, route medicine questions to professionals, and distinguish mechanism of action from mode of action, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic indication and drug class.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Molecular target level","Predicts effects and interactions","Basis of drug classification","Sometimes unknown"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a mechanism of action is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a mechanism of action, and how does it differ from mode of action, pharmacokinetics, indications and drug classes?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is someone asking about their own medicines or side effects, in which case a pharmacist or doctor should advise?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"classes","name":"Classes","description":"Named classes.","findings":[{"id":"classes-finding","name":"Classes","description":"Classes.","questions":[{"text":"What are alkylating agents, NO donors, fusion inhibitors, vaptans, peptidomimetics and aversive agents?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific class?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"targets","name":"Targets","description":"Targets.","layers":[{"id":"receptors","name":"Receptors","description":"Receptors.","findings":[{"id":"receptors-finding","name":"Receptors","description":"Receptors.","questions":[{"text":"How do agonists and antagonists act on receptors?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"enzymes","name":"Enzymes","description":"Enzymes and channels.","findings":[{"id":"enzymes-finding","name":"Enzymes","description":"Enzymes.","questions":[{"text":"How do enzyme inhibitors and channel blockers work?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"development","name":"Development","description":"Drug development.","layers":[{"id":"design","name":"Design","description":"Target-based design.","findings":[{"id":"design-finding","name":"Design","description":"Design.","questions":[{"text":"How is mechanism used in target-based drug discovery?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits drug discovery?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"labels","name":"Labels","description":"Drug labels.","findings":[{"id":"labels-finding","name":"Labels","description":"Labels.","questions":[{"text":"How are mechanisms described in official drug labels?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the information current?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Uncertainty.","layers":[{"id":"unknown","name":"Unknown mechanisms","description":"Unknown mechanisms.","findings":[{"id":"unknown-finding","name":"Unknown mechanisms","description":"Unknown mechanisms.","questions":[{"text":"Which widely used drugs have incompletely understood mechanisms, as pharmacologists report?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral and attributed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"aversive","name":"Aversive agents","description":"Bittering agents.","findings":[{"id":"aversive-finding","name":"Aversive agents","description":"Aversive agents.","questions":[{"text":"How are bittering agents such as denatonium used to deter accidental ingestion?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits denatonium benzoate?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain how a drug class works from pharmacology sources, naming them.","Note when a mechanism is unknown or only proposed.","Distinguish mechanism of action from clinical effect and safety."],"mustNot":["Recommend a drug, dose or combination for a particular person based on its mechanism.","Present a proposed mechanism as established.","Use mechanism explanations to help design or improve harmful substances.","Present a mechanism as proof that a product works or is safe."],"requiresHuman":["Using mechanism reasoning to change a patient's treatment."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Mechanistic stories can make unproven treatments look scientific.","Patients rely on accurate explanations to understand their medicines."],"affectedParties":["Patients","Prescribers and pharmacists","Students"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the concept; drug regulators review the evidence for each medicine.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q12774177","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q50377224","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"pharmacologic action","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"mode of action","type":"related"},{"target":"pharmacokinetics","type":"related"},{"target":"alkylating agent","type":"related","note":"drug class alias"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.mechanism-of-action","Wikidata: Q3271540 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3271540)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["major target types: receptors, enzymes, ion channels, transporters list","nitrogen mustard chemotherapy: 1940s note - first alkylating agents","enfuvirtide approval: 2003 year - first HIV fusion inhibitor, as reported"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["A mechanism of action describes a biochemical interaction producing a drug's pharmacological effect.","Alkylating agents, nitric oxide donors, viral fusion inhibitors and antidiuretic hormone receptor antagonists are class labels related to mechanisms.","Peptidomimetics are defined by resemblance to peptides and aversive agents by deterrent function, so neither label necessarily identifies a shared mechanism.","Mode of action describes broader functional change, pharmacokinetics covers absorption and elimination, indications are uses, and drug classes group drugs.","Not a physical object; described in pharmacology texts and drug labels."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the concept","relay target types","describe named drug classes","route medicine questions"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Giving individual medicine advice","Treating classes as mechanisms","Overstating certainty about mechanisms"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Drug labelling requirements for clinical pharmacology sections","ATC classification","MeSH pharmacologic action terms"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Explaining how substances produce effects.","receptor agonism and antagonism","enzyme inhibition","ion channel modulation","transporter inhibition","DNA damage"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q3271540: mechanism of action","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3271540","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Mechanism of action","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanism_of_action","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["The registry drug class aliases should be linked as classes rather than kinds of mechanism","Should aversive agents be moved to product safety entries?","How should MeSH pharmacologic actions be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q3271540/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q3271540/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-14T01:19:28Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:30+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane ACT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}