00351 - Pharmacology

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes will be: a)basic knowledge about drug pharmacokinetics, drug action and their use in pharmacotherapy;b) identification of the most important toxic effects

Course contents

A- General Pharmacology

Introduction- History of pharmacology, homeopathic and allopathic medicine; placebo effect and generic drugs

Pharmacokinetics- Absorption, distribution, metabolism (phase I, II and III), elimination, xenobiotic bioactivation and detoxification: manipolation of activity in in vitro (genotoxicity) and in vivo (chemoprevention).

Pharmacodynamics- Targets and mechanisms of drugs, receptors, dose-response curve, agonists, partial agonists, antagonists,drug interaction, tolerance.

Pharmacogenomics-Genetic polymorphismsat metabolic and receptor level and their role in pharmacology (personalization of therapy)and toxicology (individual vulnerability).

Toxicology- Side effects, idiosyncratic and allergic reactions, ethical and scientific limits of animal testing, cell cultures, drug development: acute, sub-acute and chronic toxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenesis, embryotoxicity, test and allocations; clinical development and pharmacovigilance.

B- Pharmacotherapy

General considerations, mechanism of action, clinical use and main side effects:

Cholinergic agonists and antagonists, adrenergic agonists and antagonists, nonsteroidal antiiflammatory drugs, treatment of the anxiety disorders, alcohols, treatment of depressive disorders, drugs for Parkinson's disease, treatment of psychoses, anticoagulant, contraceptives.

Chemotherapy- General considerations, mechanism of action, clinical use, resistenceand main side effects: Beta-lactam antibiotics, macrolides, aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, quinolones, antiviral agents, antineoplastic agents.

Readings/Bibliography

B.G. Katzung, Farmacologia generale e clinica, VII Ed. Italiana, Casa Editrice Piccin, Nuova Libraria, Padova, 2009.

L.M. Fuccella, E. Perruca, C. Sirtori, Farmacologia Clinica, Casa Editrice UTET, Torino, 1998.

H. Lullmann, k. Mohr, Farmacologia e Tossicologia, Piccin, Padova, 2001.

Teaching methods

Lectures and discussion

Assessment methods

Oral and written

Teaching tools

Overhead projector

Distribution of photocopies of the xerox projected during the lesson

Office hours

See the website of Moreno Paolini