General Principles of Pharmacology

At the end of the course, the students should be able to: 1. identify sources of drugs; 2. describe various routes of drug administration and how they influence onset of drug action; 3. identify the factors that affect drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion; 4. state the role of receptors as targets for drug action; 5. explain the fundamental differences between agonists and antagonists; and 6. enumerate the common system parameters in pharmacokinetics and their measurements.

Introduction, History of Pharmacology and relationship of Pharmacology to other Pharmaceutical and clinical subjects. Definition and sources of Drugs. Routes of Drug Administration. Drug Absorption, Distribution, Elimination and factors affecting them. Enzyme induction and enzyme inhibition. Mechanisms of drug action – Receptor and non-receptor theory. Drug dosage and dose response curves. Measurement of some pharmacokinetic parameters.