4 and 5 - Pharmacokinetics Flashcards
Define absorption
The absorption of a drug is simply the movement of an agent from the site of administration into the circulation. The extent to which a drug reaches the circulation is in part impacted by the method of drug delivery or route of administration.
Define enteral administration
drug delivery via the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
What are the types of enteral administration?
- Oral
- Sublingual and buccal
- Rectal
What are the pros and cons to oral administration
Pros = relatively safe, convenient, and economical
Cons = since drugs administered via this route will encounter various GI environmental components (digestive enzymes, low gastric pH, variability in propulsion, food, other drugs), challenges exist to overcome these components for drugs to be therapeutic
What are the pros and cons to sublingual and buccal administration?
Pros = This route allows for lipid soluble drugs to be absorbed across the oral mucous membrane and directly into venous blood
More pros = This direct absorption into the venous blood avoids metabolism by the liver.
No cons for this type
What are the pros and cons to rectal drug administration?
Pros = Allows delivery of an agent to an unconscious/vomiting patient, allows for approximately half of the drug to avoid metabolism by the liver
Cons = drug administration by this route can be incomplete and cause significant irritation
And who the hell wants a rectal drug? No one.
Define parenteral administration
Parenteral administration: drug delivery via a route that does not involve the GI tract. This route of administration requires piercing the skin.
What are the different types of parenteral administration?
- Intravenous (IV)
- Intramuscular (IM)
- Subcutaneous (SC)
- Intrathecal
- Epidural
What are the pros and cons of IV drugs?
Pros = rapid administration, bioavailability reaches 100%, accurate dosing
Cons = once administration has occurred there is no “recalling” the drug.
What are the pros and cons of IM drugs?
Cons = The absorption from the site of injection is dependent upon blood blow to the site therefore exercise and fat distribution can significantly impact absorption.
No pros listed
What are the pros and cons of SC drugs?
Pros = This method allows for constant absorption at a relatively slow rate
No cons listed
What are intrathecal drugs?
Administration via an injection into the subarachnoid space for delivery of drugs into the central nervous system.
What are epidural drugs?
Administration of drugs via an injection into the epidural space.
When a drug enters the body, it must cross biological membranes in order to function - how does it cross membranes?
Crossing these membranes can occur either by passive membrane diffusion or by facilitation from a carrier molecule. The majority of drugs cross membranes via simply passive diffusion down a concentration gradient.
Describe the differences between the ionized and non-ionized forms of drugs in the body
Drugs in the body will exist as a mixture of two forms. These forms include an ionized (electrically charged) and a non-ionized (uncharged) form.
What form of the drug (ionized or non-ionized) can pass through membranes?
It is only the non-ionized form that is able to readily cross lipid membranes.
What determines the ratio of ionized to non-ionized forms of the drug?
- pH of the fluid in which the drug is dissolved
- pKa (pH at which 50% of the drug is ionized and 50% is non-ionized)
What will happen if the pKa is greater than the pH?
The drug will exist predominantly in the protonated form
What will happen if the pH is greater than the pKa?
The unprotonated form will predominate
We know that the non-ionized drugs can cross membranes, but what does this mean in terms of protonation in acid drugs?
A protonated weak acid (HA) is uncharged (non-ionized) and can readily cross membranes
A deprotonated acid (H+) and A-) cannot easily cross a membrane
What about the protonation of bases?
A base (B) in the unprotonated form can easily move across membranes
The protonated form of a base (HB+) will not move across the membrane easily
Give a summary of acids, bases and protonation
Non-ionized = Easy movers
- Protonated acid
- Unprotonated base
Remember: “NIPAUB”
Ionized = No movement
- Protonated base
- Unprotonated acid
Define drug distribution
The process by which a drug leaves the circulation and enters the tissues perfused by the blood
What are the four factors that impact drug distribution?
1 - Cardiovascular factors
2 - Tissue binding
3 - Drug molecule size
4 - Lipid solubility
What types of cardiovascular factors affect drug distribution in the body?
- Proportion of cardiac output
- Regional blood flow
- Capillary permeability
- Binding to plasma proteins
What is biotransformation?
: Biotransformation reactions or metabolism of drugs can be categorized as Phase I and Phase II biotransformation. These reactions can convert
a parent compound into an active or inactive metabolite.
What is phase I biotransformation?
Phase I biotransformation includes oxidative, reductive and hydrolytic reactions. The result of these reactions is to generate a more polar molecule by exposing a functional group on the parent compound. This can render the compound a substrate for Phase II biotransformation
What is the rate limiting step in phase I biotransformation?
The rate limiting step in Phase I biotransformation is mediated by a group of enzymes expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum of cells. These enzymes are referred to as cytochrome P450s (CYP) and many isoforms of the enzymes exist.