Hydrophilic describes a drug that is attracted to what?

Hydrophilic describes a drug that is attracted to what?

• A. It is attracted to oil
• B. It is attracted to salt
• C. It is attracted to sugar
• D. It is attracted to water

Answer: (D)

Hydrophilic means water-loving. A hydrophilic drug has polar or charged groups (like -OH, -NH2, or -COOH) that form hydrogen bonds and strong dipole interactions with water molecules. This makes the drug highly soluble in aqueous environments such as blood, urine, and cytosol. Because of this affinity for water, hydrophilic drugs tend to stay in watery compartments rather than partitioning into lipid (fat) membranes, though they may still cross membranes if they’re very small or use transport proteins. So the drug is attracted to water.

Hydrophilic means water-loving. A hydrophilic drug has polar or charged groups (like -OH, -NH2, or -COOH) that form hydrogen bonds and strong dipole interactions with water molecules. This makes the drug highly soluble in aqueous environments such as blood, urine, and cytosol. Because of this affinity for water, hydrophilic drugs tend to stay in watery compartments rather than partitioning into lipid (fat) membranes, though they may still cross membranes if they’re very small or use transport proteins. So the drug is attracted to water.