Pharmacology and Toxicology
Full course description
To understand what active compounds, either natural or synthetic, from foods or drugs, can do in the body, you need to understand how these substances act and how the body handles these compounds. Within this course, the principles of actions of bioactive substances (pharmacodynamics) and how the body handles these bioactive substances through the processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (pharmacokinetics) will be studied. The principles of toxicology, how toxic substances affect biological systems, will be introduced. You will learn how to use these principles by studying real life cases of using medicinal products and intoxications, and you will analyse a specific case yourself.
Course objectives
Students can…
- Explain pharmacodynamic, pharmacokinetic and toxicological principles.
- Examine how pharmaceuticals and toxic substances are handled by the body.
- Individually present the appraisal of a case that is related to a specific compound, in which the compound’s dynamics and kinetics are analysed and potential solutions to the given case are discussed.
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Prerequisites
VSC1101 Introduction to Biology
Recommendations; Students should have highschool level knowledge of biology or follow Introduction to Biology first.
Recommended reading
- Rang H.P., Ritter J.M., Flower R.J., Henderson G. (2016). Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology (8th ed.), London: Elsevier Churchill Livingston.
- Timbrell, J.A. (2008) Principles of Biochemical Toxicology (4th ed.), Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
- Original research articles.