General pharmacology

Abstract

Adverse drug effects: The unintended consequences associated with normal doses of administered drugs. Area under the curve: The plot of plasma concentration of drug against time after drug administration. Bioavailability: The amount of unchanged drug reaching the bloodstream following administration by any route. Clinical pharmacology: The scientific discipline dedicated to the study of drugs in humans. Cytochrome P-450: Enzyme superfamily functioning as terminal components of the microsomal mixed function mono-oxygenase system that catalyzes the biotransformation of predominantly lipophilic molecules such as drugs and xenobiotics (chemical compounds that are foreign to a living organism) into inactive, more water-soluble species that can be more readily excreted from the body. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.