Biochemical & Molecular Pharmacology

Principles of biochemical pharmacology. Pharmacological methods of screening various drugs e.g. analgesics. Screening of sedatives, hypnotics, neuroleptics, diuretics, muscle relaxants, local and general anaesthetics. General principles of drug evaluation – clinical trials, potency and toxicity. Statistical calculations of LD₅₀, ED₅₀, and data comparison (Student t-test). Drug antagonism and determination of pA values Schild plot. Transport of drugs across biological membranes. Function of sub-cellular structures. Neurohumoral transmission. Drug-receptor interactions and theories of drug action. Mechanisms of drug action. Biochemical mechanisms of drug resistance. Structure-activity-relationships (sympathomimetics, cholinomimetics, narcotic anagesics, barbiturates, etc).