Which term corresponds to a local anesthetic?

Which term corresponds to a local anesthetic?

• A. Mycin
• B. Caine
• C. Ide
• D. Zide

Answer: (B)

The key idea is recognizing the suffix that signals a local anesthetic. Local anesthetics typically end with -caine, and they work by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels in nerves to prevent impulse conduction, producing loss of sensation in a targeted area. Names like lidocaine or procaine are classic examples of this class. The other endings point to different drug families (for instance, -mycin is common for antibiotics; -ide and -zide appear in various other compounds), so they don’t indicate local anesthetics.

The key idea is recognizing the suffix that signals a local anesthetic. Local anesthetics typically end with -caine, and they work by blocking voltage-gated sodium channels in nerves to prevent impulse conduction, producing loss of sensation in a targeted area. Names like lidocaine or procaine are classic examples of this class. The other endings point to different drug families (for instance, -mycin is common for antibiotics; -ide and -zide appear in various other compounds), so they don’t indicate local anesthetics.