Veterinary Pharmacology

Lecture Outline 

 

Topics 1-10: Basic Principles of Pharmacology
Topics 11-16: Drugs Affecting the Nervous System
Topics 17-20: Autacoids and Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Topics 21-30: Antiinfectives
Topics 31-37: Drugs Affecting Organ System (Gastrointestinal System, Cardiovascular System)
Topics 38-40: Topicals, Drugs Interactions

 

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Topic 1

INTRODUCTION TO PHARMACOLOGY

A.

 Definitions

0.25

 B.

 Introduction to considerations for appropriate use of drugs

0.25
  1. drug properties
  2. patient factors
  3. professional responsibilities

C.

Drug laws and regulations

0.50
  1. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and amendments
  2. Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act
  3. Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act
  4. Virginia laws
Topics 2-3

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF DRUG ACTION

A.

 Receptors and drug-receptor interactions

0.50
  1. Properties of receptors
  2. Bonds between drugs and receptors

B.

Quantitative aspects of drug-receptor interactions (the dose-response curve)

1.00
  1. Representation of agonists and antagonists
    1. affinity, efficacy, intrinsic activity, potency
    2. surmountable and insurmountable antagonism
  2. Use of data presented in dose-response curves
    1. graded and quantal curves
    2. comparisons of drugs

C.

 Drug safety

0.25
  1. therapeutic index and margin of safety (certain safety factor)

D.

   Factors affecting membrane transport of drugs

0.25
  1. lipophilicity
  2. relationship of pH and pKa
Topics 4-5

DRUG BIOTRANSFORMATION

A.

 Chemical pathways and substrates affected

1.5
  1. Phase I pathways 
    1. oxidation
    2. reduction
    3. hydrolysis
  2. Phase II reactions and their role in species differences
    1. glucuronide formation
    2. sulfate formation
    3. other synthetic reactions (acetylation, mercapturic acid formation, methylation)

B.

Enzymatic systems for drug metabolism

0.25
  1. Hepatic microsomal drug metabolizing systems 
    1. cytochrome P450 and others

C.

 Factors influencing drug metabolism

0.25
  1. Induction and inhibition of enzymes
  2. Species differences
  3. Age, health, and other factors
Topics 6-10

BASIC PHARMACOKINETICS

A.

 Drug absorption and role of the route of administration

1.00
  1. Absorption from the gastrointestinal tract
    1. drug bioavailability
  2. Absorption after parenteral administration
  3. Absorption from the skin and other routes

B.

 Drug distribution

0.50
  1. Role of blood flow, membrane barriers, and protein binding
  2. Enterohepatic circulation
  3. Body compartments and drug reservoirs

C.

 Drug clearance

1.00
  1. Contributions of the kidney
    1. glomerular filtration
    2. active tubular secretion
    3. passive tubular reabsorption
  2. Other routes of excretion (bile, lungs, skin, milk)

D.

 Pharmacokinetics for rational dosage adjustment

2.00
  1. Concept of clearance
  2. volume of distribution and estimation of drug concentration
  3. Rate constants for absorption and elimination
  4. Zero order and first order clearance
  5. Steady state

E.

 Bioequivalence and bioavailability

0.25

F.

 Constructing pharmacokinetic models

0.25

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Topics 11-15

DRUGS AFFECTING THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

A.

 Considerations for therapeutic use of drugs affecting the Autonomic Nervous System

0.50

B.

 Sympathomimetics (Adrenergic Agonists)

1.50
  1. Natural and synthetic agonists
    1. a 1 and a 2 agonists
    2. b 1 and b 2 agonists
  2. Indirect sympathomimetics
    1. inhibitors of reuptake and degradation
    2. phosphodiesterase inhibitors

C.

Sympatholytics (Adrenergic Antagonists)

1.00
  1. Alpha receptor blockers
  2. Beta receptor blockers
  3. Indirect-acting sympatholytics
    1. antidopaminergics
    2. calcium blockers and others

D.

Cholinergic agonists

1.25
  1. Direct
    1. esters, amides, and alkaloids
  2. Indirect by cholinesterase inhibition
    1. reversible and irreversible inhibitors

E.

 Antimuscarinic drugs

0.25

F.

 Drugs acting at nicotinic receptors

0.25
  1. non depolarizing and depolarizing mechanisms
  2. action at ANS ganglia and neuromuscular junction

G.

CNS and ANS integration

0.25
  1. behavioral modification
  2. drug abuse
Topic 16

PHARMACOLOGY OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

1.00

A.

 CNS transmitters and receptors, drug action, and therapeutic implications
  1. acetylcholine
  2. dopamine, norepinephrine
  3. serotonin
  4. GABA, glutamine
  5. opioids and others 

B.

 Classes of drugs involved
  1. tranquilizers, antidepressants
  2. anticonvulsants, anesthetics

 

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Topics 17-20

AUTACOIDS AND ANTI INFLAMMATORY AGENTS

A.

General principles of autacoid therapeutics

1.00
1. pharmacokinetics and pharmaceuticals of peptide and steroid hormones
a. pituitary hormones
b. thyroid and anitthyroid drugs
c. insulin
2. prostaglandins, physiological role and therapeutic uses

B.

 Glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, and antagonists

1.00
  1. structure-activity
  2. pharmacokinetics and pharmaceutics
  3. side effects and considerations

C.

 Reproductive hormones

D.

 Non steroidal anti inflammatory agents

0.75
  1. mechanism of action
  2. side effects and considerations

E.

Other anti inflammatory/analgesic drugs

0.75
  1. Free radical scavengers (e.g., DMSO)
  2. Agents with other effects

F.

Antihistamines

0.50
  1. H1 receptor blockers
  2. H2 receptor antagonism and other mechanisms

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Topics 21-22

INTRODUCTION TO ANTIINFECTIVES AND SYSTEMIC ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS

A.

 Definitions; factors contributing to treatment success

0.50

B.

 Sulfonamides

0.75
  1. Chemistry and pharmacokinetics
  2. Mechanism and uses
  3. Side effects and considerations

C.

 Fluoroquinolones

0.50
  1. Chemistry, pharmacokinetics
  2. Pharmacodynamics and uses
  3. Side effects and considerations

D.

 Other antimicrobials

0.25
  1. Metronidazole and others
Topics 23-28

ANTIBIOTICS AND ANTIFUNGALS

A.

Penicillins

1.75
  1. Chemistry, structure-activity, pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutics
  2. Action and indications
  3. Features of amino penicillins and extended spectrum penicillins
  4. Penicillins and other beta-lactams and their use against resistant bacteria

B.

 Cephalosporins

0.75
  1. Chemistry pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, side effects
  2. Differentiation among first, second, and third generation products

C.

 Polypeptide and glycopeptide antibiotics

0.25
  1. Chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics
  2. Uses and side effects

D.

 Aminoglycosides

0.75
  1. Chemistry and pharmacokinetics
  2. Mechanisms of action and use
  3. Side effects and other considerations

E.

Tetracyclines

0.75
  1. Chemistry and pharmacokinetics
  2. Mechanism of action and uses
  3. Side effects and other considerations

F.

Chloramphenicol & relatives

0.50
  1. Chemistry and pharmacokinetics
  2. Mechanism of action, uses, side effects

G.

 Macrolides, lincosamides and ionophores

0.50
  1. Chemistry and pharmacokinetics
  2. Mechanisms of action, uses
  3. Side effects and other considerations

H.

 Antifungal agents

0.75
  1. Polyene antibiotics 
    1. chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, uses, side effects
  2. Synthetics
    1. imidazoles and others
Topics 29,30

ANTIVIRAL AGENTS AND ANTINEOPLASTICS

A.

 Antiviral agents

0.50
  1. Principals of viral chemotherapy
  2. Mechanisms of action of therapeutic examples
    1. Nucleoside analogs
    2. Others

B.

 Antineoplastics

1.50
  1. Treatment perspectives for cancer chemotherapy 
  2. Types of agents used and their mechanism of action 
    1. agents that damage DNA
    2. antimetabolites and mitotic inhibitors
    3. others

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Topics 31,32

AGENTS ACTING ON THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT

A.

 Ruminant considerations in drug therapy

0.25

B.

 Induction and control of emesis

0.50

C.

 Decreasing effects of gastric acid

0.50
  1. Antacids, including H-2 blockers
  2. Proton pump inhibition, prostaglandins, protectants

D.

 Agents affecting gastrointestinal motility

0.75
  1. Laxatives
  2. Antidiarrheal agents
Topics 33- 37

CARDIOVASCULAR DRUGS

A.

 Anticoagulants, coagulants, hematinics

0.50
  1. heparin and warfarin
  2. iron

B.

 Fluids and diuretics

0.50
  1. Site II-loop diuretics 
    1. chemistry and pharmacokinetics 
    2. mechanism of action, uses, side effects
  2. Diuretics that act by other mechanisms 
    1. site I diuretics-carbonic anhydrase inhibitors 
    2. site III diuretics (thiazides) 
    3. site IV diuretics-potassium sparing 
    4. osmotic diuretics

C.

 Vasodilators and antihypertensives

1.25

  1. Angiotensin - converting enzyme inhibitors 
    1. pharmacodynamics and uses
  2. Nitrates and nitrites
  3. Other vasodilators

D.

Cardiotonics

0.75
  1. Digitalis glycosides 
    1. chemistry and pharmacokinetics 
    2. pharmacodynamics, uses, adverse effects

E.

 Antiarrhythmia agents

2.00 
  1. Class I-membrane stabilizers 
    1. class Ia drugs: pharmacokinetics, uses, side effects 
    2. class Ib drugs: pharmacokinetics, uses, side effects 
  2. Class II-beta blockers
  3. Class IV-calcium channel blockers
  4. Others

 

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Topic 38

TOPICAL AGENTS

1.00

A.

 Agents used on skin
  1. To relieve irritation
  2. To protect
  3. To provide antisepsis

B.

 Local anesthetics

C.

 Agents applied topically
  1. Ophthalmic and otic preparations 
  2. Dermal products

D.

 Antitussive, expectorant, and mucolytic agents
Topics 39-40

DRUG INTERACTIONS

A.

 Mechanism of interactions

1.00
  1. Chemical or physical
  2. Pharmacodynamic
  3. On absorption, distribution, excretion
  4. On drug metabolism

B.

 Interactions by drug classes

0.75
  1. Interactions involving drugs acting on the nervous system
  2. Interactions involving endocrine drugs
  3. Interactions involving antiinfective agents
  4. Interactions involving drugs with organ-specific effects

C.

 Therapies in which drug interactions should be considered

0.25

Lecture total

40
Midterm Exam

2

TOTAL

42

Final Exam -- to be held during exam week

 

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