General Principles of Pharmacology Flashcards
What is the main feature for ionized and non ionized drugs?
Ionized : water soluble - better renally excreted.
Non ionized : lipid soluble - cross membranes.
What is the pKa of a drug ?
The pH at which the drug is half ionized, half non ionized.
Mention 4 weak acid drugs.
- Aspirin
- Penicillin
- Cephalosporins
- Loop and thiazide diuretics
Mention 4 weak base drugs.
- Morphine
- Local anesthetics
- Amphetamines
- PCP
What are the pH of stomach, small intestine, blood and urine?
Stomach : 1-2
Small intestine : 6
Blood : 7.4
Urine : 5-8
Mention 4 principal features of renal clearance of drugs.
- Only free, unbound drug is filtered.
- Both ionized and non ionized forms of drugs are filtered.
- Only non ionized forms undergo active secretion and active or passive reabsorption.
- Ionized forms of drugs are trapped in the filtrate.
How can occur urine acidification or alkalinization?
Acidifying : NH4Cl, vit C, cranberry juice
Alkalinizing : NaHCO3, acetazolamide (historical)
What will happen when acidification of urine occurs?
Increased ionization of weak bases - increased renal elimination.
What will happen when alkalinization of urine occurs?
Increased ionization of weak acids - increased renal elimination.
What mode of drug transport is most often used?
Passive Diffusion
What is the fastest route of drug absorption?
Inhalation
What is the bioavailability of a drug that is administrated intravascularly?
100%. There is no absorption involved and no loss of drug.
What is the minimum effective concentration of a drug?
The drug concentration in plasma at which we fist see the pharmacologic effect.
What is bioavailability of a drug?
The fraction of a drug dose that reaches the systemic circulation.
What is the first pass effect of a drug?
When a drug is administrated orally, it passes through the portal circulation into the liver. There, it is partially metabolized and thus reducing its plasma concentration.
Give 2 examples of drugs that exhibit first pass effect.
- Lidocaine
2. Nitroglycerin
What are the two major barriers that forbid drug distribution?
- Blood-brain barrier : permeable only to lipid soluble drugs or those of very low molecular weight (levodopa vs dopamine).
- Placenta : not a true barrier though.
What are the major features of a drug safe to pregnacy?
- Water soluble
- Large
- Protein-bound
What is the apparent volume of distribution?
A kinetic parameter of a drug that correlates dose with plasma level at zero time.
Vd=dose/ plasma concentration at zero time.
What is Vd shows us?
Where the drug is distributed.
If most is in plasma, then Vd is low.
If most is outside plasma, then Vd is high.
What is the redistribution of a drug?
In very lipid soluble drugs there is a redistribution into the fat tissues prior to elimination, thus changing the duration of the action.
Mention an example of drug redistribution.
Thiopental : IV anesthetic - reaches brain in <1min, but has a half life of 9hrs.
What is biotransformation of a drug?
Metabolic conversion of drug molecules to more water soluble metabolites that are more readily secreted.
What are the 3 ways of biotransformation?
- Drug - Inactive metabolites (most drugs)
- Drug - active metabolites (benzodiazepines)
- Prodrug - drug (anti metabolites)
What reactions are involved in phase I of biotransformation?
By definition : modification of the drug molecule via
- Oxidation
- Reduction
- Hydrolysis
What are the main features of cytochrome P450 isoenzymes?
- Localized in the smooth ER.
- Have an absolute requirement for molecular oxygen and NADPH
- Oxidations include hydroxylations and dealkylations
- Multiple CYP families
Mention 5 cytP450 inducers.
- Phenobarbital
- Phenytoin
- Carbamazepine
- Rifampin
- Chronic alcohol
Mention 6 cytP450 inhibitors.
- Cimetidine
- Macrolides (erythromycin)
- Ketoconazole
- Acute alcohol
- Grapefruit juice
- Anti viral drugs
Describe the non microsomal metabolism of phase I.
1/ Hydrolysis : e.g. Local anesthetics.
2/ Monoamine oxidases : metabolize dopamine, NE, serotonin (endogenous) and tyramine (exogenous).
3/ Alcohol metabolism.
What happens in the phase II of biotransformation?
Conjugation with endogenous compounds via the activity of transferase.
What are the main types of conjugation in phase II?
- Glucuronidation : inducible, may undergo enterohepatic cycling, reduced activity in neonates - morphine + chloramphenicol.
- Acetylation.
- Glutathione (GSH) conjugation.
What are the major modes of drug elimination?
- Biotransformation to inactive metabolites.
- Excretion via the kidney.
- Excretion via other modes, e.g. Bile ducts, lungs, sweat.
What is zero order elimination rate?
A constant AMOUNT of drug is eliminated per unit time.
What are the main features of zero order elimination rate?
- Rate of elimination is independent of plasma concentration (or amount in the body).
- Drugs with zero order elimination have NO FIXED half-life.
Mention 3 examples of drugs with zero order elimination rates.
- Ethanol “except low blood levels”.
- Phenytoin “high therapeutic doses”.
- Salicylates (toxic doses) (aspirin).
What is first order elimination rate?
A Constant FRACTION of the drug is eliminated per unit time.