Abstract
Talk of mechanisms is ubiquitous in the natural sciences. Interdisciplinary fields such as biochemistry and pharmacy frequently discuss mechanisms with the assistance of diagrams. Such diagrams usually depict entities as structures or boxes and activities or interactions as arrows. While some of these arrows may indicate causal or componential relations, others may represent temporal or operational orders. Importantly, what kind of relation an arrow represents may not only vary with context but also be underdetermined by empirical data. In this manuscript, we investigate how an analysis of pharmacological mechanisms in terms of producing and underlying mechanisms—as discussed in the contemporary philosophy of science—may shed light on these issues. Specifically, we shall argue that while pharmacokinetic mechanisms usually describe causal chains of production, pharmacodynamics tends to focus on mechanisms of action underlying the in vivo effects of a drug. Considering the action of thyroid gland hormones in the human body as a case study, we further demonstrate that pharmacodynamic schemes tend to incorporate entities and interactions on multiple levels. Yet, traditional pharmacodynamic schemes are sketched “flat”, i.e., non-hierarchically. We suggest that transforming flat pharmacodynamic schemes into mechanistic multi-level representations may assist in disentangling the different kinds of mechanisms and relations depicted by arrows in flat schemes. The resulting Baumkuchen model provides a powerful and practical alternative to traditional flat schemes, as it explicates the relevant mechanisms and relations more clearly. On a more general note, our discussion demonstrates how pharmacology and related disciplines may benefit from applying concepts from the new mechanist philosophy to guide the interpretation of scientific diagrams.
Highlights
Natural sciences in general, and biochemistry and pharmacy in particular, tend to investigate complex actions and interactions of and between entities, such as small-molecule compounds, biopolymers, cells and organisms
We have demonstrated that careful analysis of ambiguous “flat” pharmacological “box and arrow” schemes may benefit all parties involved
Importing the concepts of producing and underlying mechanisms from new mechanical philosophy of science to pharmacology has allowed us to propose a new type of diagram for pharmacologists to employ in practice
Summary
Biochemistry and pharmacy in particular, tend to investigate complex actions and interactions of and between entities, such as small-molecule compounds, biopolymers, cells and organisms. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, x in scale or domain, when we consider molecular vs biological vs social processes or objects.) pharmacists take great prideproducts in the fact they aresynthesized seemingly able to explain how how molecules—be it natural or that chemically drugs—interact withmolecules—be biomolecules it products or chemically synthesized drugs—interact withprocesses biomolecules to produce physiological to natural produce physiological or even psychological changes. The relevant to such “higheror even psychological changes These mechanisms aredescribed depictedin in terms diagrams or schemes (we are usingThese thesemechanisms notions interchangeably) diagrams orcertain schemes (we are(and using notions interchangeably) entitiesand (and representing entities onthese occasion, non-entities) such representing as structurescertain and boxes, on occasion, non-entities) such asSuch structures andare boxes, activities interactions as arrows. Hormones inparts various parts of theand kidney and circulating in the blood stream
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
