Pharmacology Basics

Pharmacology

Definition

• Study of the effects of drugs on living organisms
• Examines the interactions between drugs and biological systems

Branches of Pharmacology

• Pharmacokinetics (PK): study of the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs
• Pharmacodynamics (PD): study of the effects of drugs on the body
• Pharmacogenomics: study of the genetic factors that influence an individual's response to drugs
• Toxicology: study of the adverse effects of drugs

Pharmacological Actions

• Mechanism of action: the way a drug produces its effect
• Receptor binding: drugs bind to specific receptors to produce a response
• Enzyme inhibition: drugs inhibit the activity of enzymes to produce a response
• Ion channel modulation: drugs affect the flow of ions across cell membranes to produce a response

Pharmacological Effects

• Desired effects: the intended therapeutic effects of a drug
• Adverse effects: unwanted effects of a drug
• Side effects: effects of a drug that are not related to its intended therapeutic effect
• Interactions: effects of a drug when taken with other drugs, foods, or substances

Drug Development

• Discovery: identification of potential drug candidates
• Preclinical testing: testing of drug candidates in laboratory and animal studies
• Clinical trials: testing of drug candidates in human subjects
• Approval: regulatory approval of a drug for marketing and use

Definition of Pharmacology

• Study of the effects of drugs on living organisms, examining interactions between drugs and biological systems

Branches of Pharmacology

• Pharmacokinetics (PK): absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs
• Pharmacodynamics (PD): effects of drugs on the body
• Pharmacogenomics: genetic factors influencing an individual's response to drugs
• Toxicology: adverse effects of drugs

Pharmacological Actions

• Mechanism of action: way a drug produces its effect
• Receptor binding: drugs bind to specific receptors to produce a response
• Enzyme inhibition: drugs inhibit enzyme activity to produce a response
• Ion channel modulation: drugs affect ion flow across cell membranes to produce a response

Pharmacological Effects

• Desired effects: intended therapeutic effects of a drug
• Adverse effects: unwanted effects of a drug
• Side effects: effects not related to intended therapeutic effect
• Interactions: effects of a drug with other drugs, foods, or substances

Drug Development

• Discovery: identification of potential drug candidates
• Preclinical testing: laboratory and animal studies of drug candidates
• Clinical trials: testing of drug candidates in human subjects
• Approval: regulatory approval of a drug for marketing and use