| What is a drug? What is a toxin? | Any substance used to modify or explore physiology or pathology for users benefits is a drug
Any substance that harms the physiology is a toxin. |
| What are the plant origins of medicine (pharmaco)? | Alkaloids: API (active) contain cyclic nitrogen, like morphine, caffeine nicotine...
Glycoside: organic structure (aglycone component) with sugar (glycone component), like digitalis (used for heart failure)
Gums: Exceipient, used in syrup...
Tannins: exciepient, constricts body tissues |
| What are the animal origin of medicine? | Insulin, thyroxine... |
| What are the human origins of medicine? | Igs, GH, CG... |
| What are the microorganism origins of drugs? | Mainly Abx |
| What are the molecular targets of drugs? | Receptors, enzymes (esterase), ion channels, carrier molecules, nucleic acids |
| What are pharmacodynamics? | It is what the drug does to the body, the relationship between the concentration of the drug and the response to it. |
| What are pharmacokinetics? | It is what the body does to the drug
ADME
Administration, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion |
| What are the main routes of administration? | Oral (PO), Sublingual (under the tongue), and rectal (these are the digestive routes)
IM, SC, IV (these are the parenteral routes)
Inhalation (respiratory diseases), Topical (applied to skin/ mucus membrane for local or systematic effects), Transdermal (applied to skin for systemic effects and stay for hours (should be lipophilic in order to get behind the border of epidermis) |
| What is meant by first pass effect? | It is the effect of the entery of the drug to the digestive system, passing through the gut and liver before going into the circulation, thus having a lost quantity of the applied medicine.
It occurs for PO, Rectal (But not sublingual where drug goes directly to the jugular vien) |
| How is the distribution of durgs? | After the drugs enter the blood, they may become bound or circulate freely, they take time to exert action or get distributed according to blood flow (rapid for brain/ liver and slow for skin)
Solubility (like BBB)
Binding (to certain macromolecules)
Ability to cross barriers |
| How are drugs eliminated? | First by metabolism then by excretion, it is related to the termination of dynamic effects.
Metabolism is converting lipophilic molecules into hydrophilic ones in order to be excreted, this is done by oxidation and conjugation.
Excretion may be through kidneys (most common route), lungs, feces... |
