ABSORPTION & TRANSPOTATION

OF DRUGS

DR ZAREEN NAZ
Assistant Professor
Pharmacology
 Routes of drug administration

• Enteral (Through Alimentary tract)

• Parenteral (Through Injection)
 Factors affecting drug absorption
• 1-Lipid-water partition co-efficient: Non
electrolyte drug depends upon lipid solubility.
• More lipid soluble and less water soluble that
is has high lipid-water partition co-efficient, it
will absorbed rapidly
• 2- Drug solubility: drugs given in aqueous
solutions are more rapidly soluble than when
given in oily solution, suspension or solid form.

• 3- Dosage form: Tablets and capsules, rate of

disintegration and dissolution is limiting factor in
their absorption. After dissolution, smaller the
particle size, more efficient will be absorption.
• 4- Circulation at the site: Increased blood
flow increase absorption
• How blood flow increase?
• How blood flow decrease?

• 5- Area of absorbing surface : Absorbed

more from large surface areas for example
intestinal mucosa
• 6- Effect of pH:
• Most drugs are either weak acids or weak bases.
Weak electrolytes, in addition to lipid solubility,
depends upon its degree of ionization which is
influenced by pH of the area.
• Weak acids become less ionized(charged) in an
acidic medium and weak bases become less
ionized in an alkaline medium
• Unionized drug is lipid soluble and diffusible
• Acidic drug will absorb more in stomach or
intestine?

• Basic drug will absorb more from intestine

because it becomes unionized in basic
medium.
• In acidic medium basic drug will become
more ionized and thus no absorption will takes
place.
• 7. Functional integrity of the GIT:
• Increased peristaltic activity as in diarrhea
reduces drug absorption
• Increased gastric emptying time, absorption
will be more.
 Bioavailability
• The fraction of unchanged drug reaching the
systemic circulation following administration by
any route”
or

The percentage of administered drug that reaches

the systemic circulation in a chemically
unchanged form”
• Thus by definition a drug that is administered by
intravenous route has 100% bioavailability