28950 - Pharmacology Laboratory

Course contents

General principles of pharmacodynamics: mechanisms of drug action, structure-activity relationship

- Evaluation of the drug effects. Drug concentration-response relationship. Therapeutic index.

- Receptor mechanisms of drug action and signal transduction mechanisms.

- Drug antagonism: competitive antagonism and partial antagonists.

- Modification of the drug response: hypersensnsitivity, desensitization, tolerance, tachyphylaxis.

- General principles of pharmacokinetics. Passive diffusion. Drug absorption and administration routes. Absorption kinetics. Analysis of the plasma concentration curve.

- Kinetics of drug elimination. Renal clearance and systemic clearance.

- Drug excretion and metabolism. Metabolic drug induction. Active metabolites. Influence of pathologies on pharmacokinetics.

- Introduction to main drug classes:

- Principles of autonomic and peripheral nervous system pharmacology

- Principles of cardiovascular pharmacology.

- Principles of pharmacology of the central nervous system.

- Principles of immunepharmacology.

Laboratory course held by Dr. Andrea Bedini

he students in the practical laboratory course of pharmacology will carry out the following experiments:

1) set up of a cell model to study drug-receptor interactions by a cell adhesion assay.

2) Evaluation of the signal transduction pathways of a G-protein coupled receptor exposed to agonists and/or to antagonists adopting a cell model expressing the recombinant receptor.

3) Analysis of the effect of glucocorticoids on gene expression in a lympocyte cell line.

Readings/Bibliography

In addition to the material tha will distributed by the teacher, the following textbooks are suggested:

− Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM Farmacologia Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, Milano

− Golan DE et al. Principi di Farmacologia – Le basi fisiopatologiche delle malattie Casa Editrice

Ambrosiana, Milano

− Katzung BG Farmacologia generale e clinica Piccin, Padova

− Birkett DJ Farmacocinetica facile Piccin, Padova

− Clementi F, Fumagalli G Farmacologia generale e molecolare UTET, Torino

Teaching methods

Oral lessons and laboratory course.

Assessment methods

Two written tests will be done during the course. The exam is written with open and/or multiple choice answers.At the end of the laboratory course, the studnet will present a written, well cpmplete report.

Teaching tools

Projector

Office hours

See the website of Santi Mario Spampinato

See the website of Andrea Bedini