2. Pharmacokinetics (PK)
The study of the disposition of a drug
The disposition of a drug includes the processes of
ADME
Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
Excretion
Toxicity
Elimination
4. DRUG R&D
Drug discovery and development
•10-15 years to develop a new medicine
•Likelihood of success: 10%
•Cost $800 million – 1 billion dollars (US)
6. Importance of PK studies
Patients may suffer:
Toxic drugs may accumulate
Useful drugs may have no benefit because doses are
too small to establish therapy
A drug can be rapidly metabolized.
8. Absorption
The process by which drug proceeds from the site of
administration to the site of measurement (blood stream) within
the body.
Necessary for the production of a therapeutic effect.
Most drugs undergo gastrointestinal absorption. This is extent to
which drug is absorbed from gut lumen into portal circulation
Exception: IV drug administration
9. IV vs Oral
I.V Drug Oral Drug
Immediately Delayed
completely incomplete
10. Absorption relies on
Passage through membranes to reach the blood
passive diffusion of lipid soluble species.
The Process
11. The Rule of Five - formulation
There are more than 5 H-bond donors.
The molecular weight is over 500.
The LogP is over 5.
There are more than 10 H-bond acceptors.
Poor absorption or permeation are
more likely when:
13. First Pass Metabolism
Bioavailability: the fraction of the administered dose reaching the systemic
circulation
Dose
Destroyed
in gut
Not
absorbed
Destroyed
by gut wall
Destroyed
by liver
to
systemic
circulation
14. Determination of bioavailability
A drug given by the intravenous route will
have an absolute bioavailability of 1 (F=1
or 100% bioavavailable)
While drugs given by other routes usually
have an absolute bioavailability of less
than one.
The absolute bioavailability is the area
under curve (AUC) non-intravenous
divided by AUC intravenous .
15. Toxicity
The therapeutic index is the
degree of separation
between toxic and
therapeutic doses.
Relationship Between Dose,
Therapeutic Effect and Toxic
Effect. The Therapeutic
Index is Narrow for Most
Cancer Drugs
100× 10×
17. DISTRIBUTION
Determined by:
• partitioning across various membranes
•binding to tissue components
•binding to blood components (RBC, plasma protein)
•physiological volumes
18. DISTRIBUTION
All of the fluid in the body (referred to as the total body water), in which a drug
can be dissolved, can be roughly divided into three compartments:
intravascular (blood plasma found within blood vessels)
interstitial/tissue (fluid surrounding cells)
intracellular (fluid within cells, i.e. cytosol)
The distribution of a drug into these compartments is dictated by it's physical
and chemical properties
20. Distribution
Apparent volume of distribution (Vd) =
Amt of drug in body/plasma drug conc
VOLUME OF DISTRIBUTION FOR SOME DRUGS
DRUG Vd (L)
cocaine 140
clonazepam 210
amitriptyline 1050
amiodarone ~5000
21. Factors affecting drugs Vd
Blood flow: rate varies widely as function of tissue
Muscle = slow
Organs = fast
Capillary structure:
•Most capillaries are “leaky” and do not impede diffusion of drugs
•Blood-brain barrier formed by high level of tight junctions between cells
•BBB is impermeable to most water-soluble drugs
22. Blood Brain Barrier
•Disruption by osmotic means
•Use of endogenous transport
systems
•Blocking of active efflux
transporters
• Intracerebral implantation
•Etc
23. Plasma Protein Binding
Many drugs bind to plasma proteins in the blood
steam
Plasma protein binding limits distribution.
A drug that binds plasma protein diffuses less
efficiently, than a drug that doesn’t.
24. Physiochemical properties-
Po/w
The Partition coefficient (Po/w) and can be used to determine
where a drug likes to go in the body
Any drug with a Po/w greater than 1(diffuse through cell
membranes easily) is likely be found throughout all three fluid
compartments
Drugs with low Po/w values (meaning that they are fairly water-
soluble) are often unable to cross and require more time to
distribute throughout the rest of the body
25. Physiochemical Properties-
Size of drug
•The size of a drug also dictates where it can go in the body.
•Most drugs : 250 and 450 Da MW
•Tiny drugs (150-200 Da) with low Po/w values like caffeine can passively diffuse through cell
membranes
•Antibodies and other drugs range into the thousands of daltons
•Drugs >200 Da with low Po/w values cannot passively cross membranes- require specialized
protein-based transmembrane transport systems- slower distribution
•Drugs < thousand daltons with high Po/w values-simply diffuse between the lipid molecules that
make up membranes, while anything larger requires specialized transport.
26. Elimination
The irreversible removal of the parent drugs
from the body
Elimination
Drug Metabolism
(Biotransformation)
Excretion
27. Drug Metabolism
The chemical modification of drugs with the overall goal of
getting rid of the drug
Enzymes are typically involved in metabolism
Drug
Metabolism
More polar
(water soluble)
Drug
Excretion
28. •From 1898 through to 1910 heroin was marketed as a non-addictive morphine
substitute and cough medicine for children. Bayer marketed heroin as a cure for
morphine addiction
•Heroin is converted to morphine when metabolized in the liver
METABOLISM
29. Phases of Drug Metabolism
Phase I Reactions
Convert parent compound into a more polar (=hydrophilic) metabolite
by adding or unmasking functional groups (-OH, -SH, -NH2, -COOH,
etc.) eg. oxidation
Often these metabolites are inactive
May be sufficiently polar to be excreted readily
30. Phases of metabolism
Phase II Reactions
Conjugation with endogenous substrate to further increase
aqueous solubility
Conjugation with glucoronide, sulfate, acetate, amino acid
31. Mostly occurs in the
liver because all of the
blood in the body
passes through the liver
32. The Most Important Enzymes
Microsomal cytochrome P450 monooxygenase family of
enzymes, which oxidize drugs
Act on structurally unrelated drugs
Metabolize the widest range of drugs.
33. • Found in liver, small intestine, lungs, kidneys, placenta
• Consists of > 50 isoforms
• Major source of catalytic activity for drug oxidation
• It’s been estimated that 90% or more of human drug oxidation can be attributed
to 6 main enzymes:
• CYP1A2 • CYP2D6
• CYP2C9 • CYP2E1
• CYP2C19 • CYP3A4
In different people and different populations, activity of CYP oxidases
differs.
CYP family of enzymes
34.
35. Inhibitors and inducers of microsomal
enzymes
Inhibitors: cimetidine prolongs action of drugs or inhibits action of
those biotransformed to active agents (pro-drugs)
Inducers: barbiturates, carbamazepine shorten action of drugs or
increase effects of those biotransformed to active agents
Blockers: acting on non-microsomal enzymes (MAOI,
anticholinesterase drugs)
36. Phase II
Main function of phase I reactions is to prepare chemicals
for phase II metabolism and subsequent excretion
Phase II is the true “detoxification” step in the metabolism
process.
37. Phase II reactions
Conjugation reactions
Glucuronidation (on -OH, -COOH, -NH2, -SH groups)
Sulfation (on -NH2, -SO2NH2, -OH groups)
Acetylation (on -NH2, -SO2NH2, -OH groups)
Amino acid conjugation (on -COOH groups)
Glutathione conjugation (to epoxides or organic halides)
Fatty acid conjugation (on -OH groups)
Condensation reactions
38. Glucuronidation
Conjugation to a-d-glucuronic acid
Quantitatively the most important phase II pathway for drugs and endogenous
compounds
Products are often excreted in the bile
39. Phase I and II - Summary
Products are generally more water soluble
These reactions products are ready for (renal) excretion
There are many complementary, sequential and competing pathways
Phase I and Phase II metabolism are a coupled interactive system interfacing with
endogenous metabolic pathways
40. Excretion
The main process that body eliminates "unwanted"
substances.
Most common route - biliary or renal
Other routes - lung (through exhalation), skin (through
perspiration) etc.
Lipophilic drugs may require several metabolism steps before
they are excreted