Pharmacology π Flashcards
Where should the medicine be introduced to have quick effect?
intravenous route.
What is pharmacodynamics?
It is what the drug does to the body.
What is pharmacokinetics?
It is what the body does to the drug.
What does pharmacokinetics include?
Absorbtion
Distribution
Metabolism
Execration
What is elimination?
Metabolism + excretion
Why is there some lag in the start of the curve of the time course of drug action (oral)?
Due to Absorption but in intravenous, there is no lag.
Where should the drug concentration be kept?
In the therapeutic window.
What is absorption?
Absorption is defined as the passage of a drug from the site of administration to plasma.
What are the main routes of administration of drugs?
- Sublingual.
- Oral
- Rectal.
- Local.
- Inhalation.
- Injections.
Does the sublingual route have any Barriers?
No
What are the internal routes of administration?
- Sublingual.
- Oral
- Rectal.
What are the external routes of administration of drugs?
- Local.
- Inhalation.
- Injections.
What are the factors that affect the rate of Absorption?
A. Factors related to the drug:
β’ Ionization of the drug (pKa)
B. Factors related to the absorbing surface:
β’ Rate of the circulation at the site of absorption.
What is the ionization constant (pKa)?
It is the pH at which the ionized and non-ionized forms of the drug are equal.
Are ionized forms lipid soluble or no?
Unionized forms are more lipid-soluble and rapidly absorbed.
Where do acidic drugs become more ionized?
In basic media and vice versa
Give an example for acidic and basic drugs respectively?
Aspirin - amphetamine
What is the clinical significance of pKa?
-knowing the site of drug absorption on the GIT.
-Treatment of drug toxicity:
β’ Toxicity with acidic drugs (e.g. aspirin) could be treated by alkalinization of urine, which renders this drug more ionized in urine and less reabsorbable.
β’ Toxicity with basic drugs (e.g. amphetamine) could be treated by acidification of urine, which renders this drug more ionized in urine and less reabsorbable.
What is the action of local anesthetic?
They block voltage-dependent Na+ channels within the nerve fibers ββ nerve conduction.
What is the clinical value of pKa in local anesthetics?
β’ All local anesthetics are weak bases. So, the addition of bicarbonate to the anesthetic solution maintains the anesthetic in the non-ionized state and this increases lipid solubility and enhances penetration of the anesthetic into the nerve sheath.
What is the bioavailability of drugs?
it is the fraction of the drug that becomes available for systemic effect after administration. The bioavailability of drugs given i.v. is 100%.
What are the factors that affect drug bioavailability(oral)?
Factors affecting oral availability:
- The same factors of drug absorption.
- Hepatic first-pass metabolism for oral route
What is the definition of volume of distribution?
The apparent volume of water into which the drug is distributed in the body after distribution equilibrium
How is Vd calculated?
The total amount of the drug in the body
Vd = ββββββββββββββββββββββββββ = L Plasma concentration of the drug after distribution equilibrium
What is the clinical significance of Vd?
Knowing Sites of distribution of drugs: 1. Plasma (3 liters) 2. Extracellular (9 liters) 3. Intracellular water (29 liters) β’ So, Vd more than 41 liters means drug moves to tissues.
Calculation of the loading dose: LD = Vd target Cp
Binding of drugs to plasma proteins
- Most drugs are found in the vascular compartment associated with plasma proteins
- The pharmacological effect of the drug is related only to its free part.
- Binding of drugs to plasma proteins prolongs their effects.
What is the major site of drug metabolism?
The liver is the major site of drug metabolism but other organs can also metabolize drugs e.g. kidneys, lungs, and adrenal glands.
What must happen to lipids to be excreted?
Many lipid-soluble drugs must be converted into a water-soluble form (polar) to be excreted. However, Some drugs are not metabolized at all and excreted unchanged (hard drugs).
What does the metabolism of drugs lead to?
Metabolism of drugs may lead to:
1) Conversion of the active drug into inactive metabolites β termination of drug effect.
2) Conversion of the active drug into active metabolites β prolongation of drug effect e.g. codeine (active drug) is metabolized to morphine (active product).
3) Conversion of the inactive drug into active metabolites (prodrugs) e.g. enalapril (inactive drug) is metabolized to enalaprilat (active metabolite).
4) Conversion of non-toxic drugs into toxic metabolites (e.g. paracetamol is converted into the toxic product N-acetylbenzoquinone).
What are the reactions that the drug may undergo to be metabolized?
Phase I reactions
Phase II reactions
What happens if the drug is not liable to conversion into water-soluble by phase I?
it must enter phase Il to increase solubility and enhance elimination.
What are the processes included in phase I reactions?
oxidation, reduction, and hydrolysis.
What are the enzymes catalyzing phase I reactions?
cytochrome P450, aldehyde and alcohol dehydrogenase, deaminases, esterases, amidases, and epoxide hydratases.
What is the set of enzymes that is responsible for the majority of phase I reactions? And where is it present?
cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme system located primarily inside membranous vesicles (microsomes) on the surface of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum of parenchymal liver cells.
What are other sites of CYP450 activity?
kidney, testis, ovaries, and GIT.
What is a source of variability of drug metabolism in humans?
Genetic polymorphism of medically important CYP450 enzymes.
Are drugs metabolized by one CYP450 Enzyme or many CYP450 enzymes?
Drugs may be metabolized by only one CYP450 enzyme (e.g. metoprolol by
CYP2D6) or by multiple enzymes (e.g. warfarin).
Is microsomal oxidation induced by certain drugs and environmental substances?
Yes, Some drugs and environmental substances can induce (increase activity) or inhibit certain CYP450 enzymes leading to significant drug interactions.
Is non-microsomal oxidation induced by certain drugs and environmental substances?
No, only microsomal oxidation is affected
What are examples of non-microsomal oxidation?
xanthine oxidase (converts xanthine to uric acid)
monoamine oxidase (MAO) (oxidizes catecholamines and serotonin).
Microsomal enzyme induction
- Microsomal inducers increase the rate of metabolism of some drugs leading to a decrease in their serum levels and therapeutic failure.
- Induction usually requires prolonged exposure to the inducing drug
What are examples of inducing agents?
phenytoin, rifampicin, phenobarbitone, carbamazepine,
smoking, chronic alcohol intake, St Johnβs Wort,
What are clinical examples of microsomal enzyme induction?
- Rifampicin accelerates the metabolism of contraceptive pills leading to the failure of contraception.
- Phenytoin accelerates the metabolism of cyclosporine-A leading to graft rejection.
What are examples of inhibiting agents?
macrolide antibiotics (e.g. erythromycin), ciprofloxacin, cimetidine, ketoconazole, ritonavir, grapefruit juice.
What are clinical examples of microsomal enzyme inhibition?
- Ciprofloxacin inhibits the metabolism of warfarin (anticoagulant) leading to the accumulation of warfarin and bleeding.
- Erythromycin inhibits the metabolism of theophylline leading to toxicity of theophylline (cardiac arrhythmia).
What is the concept of Phase II reactions?
It involves the coupling of a drug or its metabolite to a water-soluble substrate (usually glucuronic acid) to form a water-soluble conjugate.
What is the set of enzymes that is responsible for the majority of phase II reactions?
Glucuronyl transferase
Where is the set of glucoronyl transferase enzymes present?
This set of enzymes is also located inside liver microsomes and is the only phase Il reaction that is inducible by drugs and is a possible site of drug interactions e.g: ο² phenobarbital induces glucuronidation of thyroid hormone and reduces their
plasma levels.
What is the role of intestinal bacteria in the prolongation of the duration of some drugs?
Some glucuronide conjugates secreted in bile can be hydrolyzed by intestinal bacteria and the free drug can be reabsorbed again (enterohepatic circulation), this can extend the action of some drugs.
What are other examples of non-glucuronide conjugation reactions?
sulphate conjugation (steroids), glycine conjugation (salicylic acid), glutathione conjugation (ethacrynic acid).
How are contraceptive pills metabolized? And what is the role of intestinal bacteria in this?
Contraceptive pills contain estrogen, which is metabolized by glucuronide conjugation and excreted in bile as a conjugate, Intestinal bacteria hydrolyze this conjugate to form free estrogen again which is reabsorbed and attain a long duration of action (so contraceptive pills are given once daily).
What happens if a woman took contraceptive pills with broad-spectrum antibiotics (kills the intestinal bacteria)?
estrogen will lose its long duration of action and pregnancy can occur.
What is the definition of first-pass metabolism?
metabolism of drugs at the site of administration before reaching systemic circulation e.g. the liver after oral administration, the lung after inhalation, the skin after topical administration, etc.
Examples of hepatic first-pass metabolism for different drugs.
ο Complete: lidocaine.
ο Partial: propranolol, morphine, nitroglycerine
ο None: atenolol and mononitrates
How to avoid hepatic first-pass metabolism?
- By increasing the dose of the drug.
- By giving the drug through other routes e.g. sublingual, inhalation, or i.v.
What is the definition of bioavailability?
ο it is the fraction of the drug that becomes available for systemic effect after administration, The bioavailability of drugs given i.v. is 100%
What are the factors that affect bioavailability?
ο Factors affecting absorption.
ο Factors affecting metabolism.
ο First-pass metabolism.
What are the mechanisms of drug action (main targets for drug action)?
- Receptors
- Ion channels
- Enzymes
- Carrier molecules
What are receptors?
Receptors are protein macromolecules on the surface or within the cell that combines chemically with small molecules (ligands) and produce physiological regulatory functions.
What are the types of bonds between drugs and receptors?
1- The ionic bonds
2- The hydrogen bonds
3- The covalent bonds
What are the biological responses to drug-receptor binding?
1) Agonist effect
2) Antagonist effect
3) Partial agonist effect
What is an agonist?
The drug has both affinity and efficacy
What is the affinity of drugs?
it is the empathy of the receptor to the ligand.
What does affinity determine?
It determines the number of receptors occupied by the drug.
What is the efficacy of the drug?
It is the ability of a drug to produce a response (effect) after binding to the receptor.
What is efficacy measured by?
It is measured by the Emax(the maximal response that a drug can elicit at full concentration)
What is an antagonist?
the drug has affinity but no efficacy
What is a partial agonist effect?
Agonist gives submaximal response even at full concentration i.e never gives Emax.
What is a Graded response?
The response is increased proportionally to the dose of the agonist
ο e.g. the response of the heart to adrenaline.
What is a quantal response?
The response does not increase proportionally to the agonist but it is an all-or-none response
ο e.g. prevention of convulsions by antiepileptic drugs.
What is the importance of drug-response curves?
- Determination of potency
- Determination of efficacy
- determination of therapeutic index ( a measure of safety)
What is ED50 (effective dose)?
-the dose of the drug that gives 50% of the Emax, or it is the dose that gives the desired effect in 50% of a test population of subjects. A drug that gives ED50 in smaller doses is described as a βpotentβ drug.
What does TI equal?
LD50/ED50
-Drugs with high TI are safer for clinical use, and vice versa.
What does LD50 mean?
means the dose which is lethal to 50% of experimental animals
What does ED50 mean?
means the dose which is effective in 50 percent of animals
How do drugs affect ion channels?
ο Drugs could modulate ion channels e.g. Ion channels could be physically blocked by the drug molecule e.g. local anesthetics
How do drugs affect enzymes?
- The drug may act on the enzyme itself by competition with its normal substrate for the active binding sites on the enzyme.
- The drug molecule may inhibit the enzyme by covalent binding with the structure of the enzyme (irreversible binding).
What does it mean if there is a large difference between the dose of a drug that produces the desired effect and the dose that produces a toxic effect?
it is said that the drug has a large TI.
What are parasympathomimetics classified according to tp?
According to MOA:
Direct-acting cholinomimetics
Indirect-acting cholinomimetics
What is the definition of Direct-acting cholinomimetics?
Act by direct stimulation of cholinergic receptors.
What are examples of Direct-acting cholinomimetics?
A-choline esters:
acetylcholine, (M+N)
Bethanechol (M)
Carbachol (M+N)
B-alkaloids :
Natural :Pilocarpine(M)
Synthetic: Cevimeline (M)
C-drugs that augment A.ch.action:
sildenafil
What is the definition of Indirect-acting cholinomimetics?
Act by inhibition of choline esterase (AChE) enzyme leading to accumulation of acetylcholine (A.Ch).
What are examples of Indirect-acting cholinomimetics?
Reversible Ch.E inhibitors.:
> Physostigmine (M+N +CNS; used topically in glaucoma),
> neostigmine,
> pyridostigmine, donepezil
Irreversible Ch.E inhibitors;
a) Echothiopate: eye drops to treat
b) Organophosphate compounds (M+N +CNS effects)
What are the adverse effects of muscarinic agonists?
DUMBELS
D > Diarrhea &colic U > Urination M > Miosis B > Bradycardia & Bronchospasm E > Emesis(Vomiting) & Excretion of CNS L > Lacrimation S > Salivation, Sweating & Skeletal ms twitches
-All of which can be blocked by atropine.
What are the contradictions of muscarinic agonists?
Peptic ulcer.
Bronchial asthma.
Heart Block.
What is the nature of physostigmine?
Natural plant alkaloid (tertiary amine).
Well-absorbed from the GIT
Can pass to CNS.
What is the MOA of physostigmine?
(Reversibly) inhibit cholinesterase enzyme for 3-4 hours,
leading to :
1. Muscarinic effects:
> Hypotension, Bradycardia.
> Salivation, lacrimation.
> +1 GIT peristalsis (diarrhea and colic).
> Miosis.
- Nicotinic effects:
> Skeletal muscle contraction. - Central effects:
> Headache, insomnia, excitation, and convulsions.
What are the uses of physostigmine?
- Eye drops to produce miosis and treat chronic glaucoma.
- The antidote in case of atropine poisoning.
What is the nature of neostigmine?
Synthetic drug (quaternary amine) Poorly absorbed from GIT. Cannot pass to CNS.
What is the MOA of Neostigmine?
Similar to physostigmine in MOA & effects but it has no CNS actions.
What are the uses of neostigmine?
- Reverse postoperative urine retention and paralytic ileus.
- Contraindicated if it is mechanical obstruction (to avoid rupture of the bladder or intestine)
What is the MOA of edrophonium?
Similar to pyridostigmine & neostigmine but has a very short duration of action (5-15 minutes).
What are the uses of edrophonium?
It is used in the diagnosis of myathenia gravis, Used to differentiate between muscle weakness due to insufficient treatment of myasthenia, or due to excessive treatment with cholinesterase (Tensilon test).
Drugs for a Patient with glaucoma
Ecothiophate (Parasympathomimetic)
Drugs for the Diagnosis of myasthenia
Edrophonium
Drugs for the Treatment of myasthenia
Neo and pyridostigmine
What are organophosphate compounds?
-Drugs:
Echothiophate eye drops.
-Insecticides:
Parathion.
Malathion.
Nerve (war) gases:
Sarin
Soman
What are the manifestations of organophosphate compounds toxicity?
(The DUMBELS syndrome) (Excretion, Bradycardia, Bronchospasm)
D > Diarrhea &colic U > Urination M > Miosis B > Bradycardia & Bronchospasm E > Emesis(Vomiting) & Excretion of CNS L > Lacrimation S > Salivation, Sweating & Skeletal ms twitches
What is the management of organophosphate toxicity?
- Ensure patent airway and artificial respiration.
- Gastric lavage and skin wash to remove the toxin.
- Intravenous normal saline to raise blood pressure.
Atropine - Pralidoxime - diazepam
What are the drugs used for Postoperative urine retention and paralytic ileus and their receptors?
- Bethanechol, M3
- Neostigmine, M&N
What are the drugs used for glaucoma?
- Pilocarpine, M3
* Carbachol, physostigmine, M&N
What are the drugs used for xerostomia?
Cevimeline, M3
What are the drugs used for Alzheimerβs disease?
Donepezil, rivastigmine, M&N
What are the drugs used for the diagnosis of myasthenia?
Edrophonium
What are the drugs used for the Treatment of Myasthenia?
Edrophonium,
What are the drugs used for the treatment of Atropine toxicity?
Physostigmine, M&N
Bethanechol clinical application and action
- Postoperative urine retention and paralytic ileum
- Activates bowel and bladder smooth ms.
Pilocarpine clinical application and action
- Glaucoma
- Activates ciliary muscle of eye
Neostigmine clinical application and action
- Postoperative urine retention, Myasthenia gravis, and paralytic ileus
- Amplifies endogenous acetylcholine
Physostigmine clinical application and action
- Glaucoma, counteract the mydriatic cycloplegic of atropine
- Amplifies endogenous acetylcholine
What are examples of parasympatholytics?
1- Nicotinic blockers:
-NMBs (block Nm)
> e.g: D- tubocurarine.
-Ganglionic blockers (block Nn):
> e.g: Trimethaphan.
2- Muscarinic antagonists:
-Ipratropium Hyoscine butylbromide -Pirenzepine (M1) -Oxybutynin, tolterodine -hamatropine, tropicamide -Benztropine
What is the nature of muscarinic antagonists?
They are either tertiary amine alkaloids or quaternary amines :
> Plant alkaloids: atropine & scopolamine (hyoscine) is found in Hyoscyamus
Niger. They are tertiary amines (i.e. well absorbed and can pass to CNS).
> Synthetic derivatives: either tertiary or quaternary amines (limited CNS penetration).
What is the action of different muscarinic antagonists?
Ipratropium: Used mainly as bronchodilators.
Hyoscine butyl bromide: Used mainly as antispasmodics.
Pirenzepine (M1): Used mainly to decrease HCL secretion.
Oxybutynin, tolterodine: Used mainly for the genitourinary system.
Homatropine, tropicamide: Used mainly as mydriatics.
Benztropine: Used mainly to treat parkinsonism.
What are the therapeutic uses of muscarinic antagonists?
- Bradycardia (atropine, mainly M2).
- Bronchial asthma: (ipratropium is given by inhalation to dilate the bronchi and reduce secretions in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
β’ Pre-anesthetic medication (atropine GIT disorders) :
> Peptic ulcer: pirenzepine. (M 1- antagonist).
> Diarrhea.
> Abdominal colic: eg , hyoscine butylbromide (Buscoban)
β’ Urinary disorder :
> Acute cystitis: oxybutynin
> Urine incontinence in adults: tolterodine
- Eye: Funds examination &lridocyclitis
- CNS: Parkinsonβs disease: benztropine
- Motion sickness: scopolamine.
- Organophosphate toxicity: atropine.
What is the nature of atropine?
An alkaloid derived from the plant Atropa belladonna.