Agonisty

Agonisty is a term that appears in some languages as the plural form of "agonist" when referring to substances that activate biological receptors. In English-language pharmacology, the conventional plural is "agonists," and "agonisty" is not used in standard scientific writing. In languages such as Polish, however, "agonisty" is the correct plural of "agonista" (the loanword for agonist).

The word originates from Greek agōn "contest" and agōnistēs "competitor." In pharmacology, an agonist binds to a receptor and evokes a biological response. Agonists can be classified as full agonists, which produce the maximum response, or partial agonists, which produce a submaximal response. Some agonists show selectivity for receptor subtypes and may vary in potency and efficacy.

Agonists are contrasted with antagonists, which bind without activating, and inverse agonists, which reduce basal activity. The term agonist is also used in broader contexts to describe agents that mimic endogenous ligands or signals. The form agonisty is primarily attested as a plural in certain languages, rather than a distinct English term.

See also: receptor, agonist, antagonist, pharmacology, Greek etymology, partial agonist.