Pharmacology
Passive absorption
- The study or science of drugs
Drug – a chemical agent capable of producing biologic
responses within our body
Medication – after a drug is administered
Drug names:
a. Chemical name – description of drug using the
nomenclature of chemistry
b. Generic name – the nonproprietary name;
much shorter and less complex than chemical
name
c. Trade name – aka brand names; names under
which a drug is marketed
BASIC AREAS OF PHARMACOLOGY
DRUG ACTION
Pharmaceutic phase
- 1st phase of drug action
- drug dosage forms
- aka “dissolution” = a drug in a solid form must
be disintegrated into small pieces to dissolve
into a liquid
- how various dosage forms influence the way
the drug is absorbed and how the body
metabolizes the drug
- 80 % of drugs are taken by mouth
Tablets = not 100% drug
= excipients (fillers and inert substances) are
added
= enteric – coated tablet/capsules can remain in
the stomach because disintegration cannot occur until
alkaline environment is reached
Pharmacokinetic phase
- the study of drug movement throughout the
body
- four basic pharmacokinetic processes:
1. Absorption – movement of drug from its
site of administration into the bloodstream
A.
 Occurs mostly by diffusion
 Higher to lower concentration movement
 Drug does not require energy to move across
the membrane
B. Active absorption
 Requires carrier such as enzyme or protein to
move drug against a concentration gradient.
 Requires energy
C. Pinocytosis
 Cells carry a drug across their membrane by
engulfing the drug particles
NOTE!
 Since the GI tract is composed mostly of lipid
and protein, drugs that are fat-soluble passes
rapidly than water-soluble drugs.
Bioavailability – term used to express the
extent of the drug absorption
- oral route drugs bioavailability = less than
100%
- IV route drugs bioavailability = 100%
First-pass effect – reduces the bioavailability of
the drug; some drugs are metabolized in the
liver before proceeding to the desired site of
administration
Factors influencing drug absorption:
 Drug administration (route)
 Presence of food
 Dosage formulation
 Stomach acidity
 Rate of blood flow
 GI motility
 Status of absorptive
Route of Administration:
A. Enteral
- Drug is absorbed into the systemic circulation
through the mucosa of the stomach and
small/large intestine
- Sublingual route: drug is placed under the
tongue
- Buccal route: between cheek and gums
 Half-life (t1/2)
B. Parenteral
- The time it takes for ½ of the drug
- A general term that means any route of
concentration to be eliminated
administration other than GI tract
4. Excretion – the elimination of drug from the
- Examples: Intravenous injection, intramuscular
body
injection, subcutaneous injections, etc
- Main route of drug elimination is through the
kidneys
C. Topical
- Delivers medication directly into the affected Biliary excretion: excretion of drugs by the intestine
area
- Examples: ointments, patches, eyedrops, Enterohepatic recirculation: when certain drugs are
sprays, inhaler in the bile, they may be reabsorbed int the
bloodstream, returned to the liver and secreted
D. Rectal again in the bile
- Administered through the anus
- Useful for local or systemic drug delivery

2. Distribution – the transport of drug by the

bloodstream to its site of administration
- Protein-binding effect: Some drug molecules
bound themselves to plasma proteins;
 Albumin – the most common blood
protein and carries majority of inactive
drug molecules
Inactive drug – bounded drug
Active drug – not bounded drug; “free”;
causes pharmacologic response
 A acid glycoprotein
 Corticosteroid-binding globulin

Factors influencing distribution of drug:

 Malnourishment (causes low serum

albumin level)
 Abscesses
 Exudates
 Body glands
 Tumor
 Liver disease
 Kidney disease

3. Metabolism – the biotransformation

- the biochemical alteration of a drug
- Liver: main organ for drug metabolism
- Influenced by:
 Patient’s genetic formation
 Diseases
 Concurrent use of other