General Principles of Pharmacology

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