Polymers and macromolecules
Scheme 7.1 The spectrum of uses for polymers in pharmaceutics 7.1.1 Definitions Polymers are substances of high molecular weight made up of repeating monomer units. Substances with short chains containing relatively few…
Drug stability
Scheme 3.1 Examples of chemical groups susceptible to hydrolysis. Drugs that contain ester linkages include acetylsalicylic acid, physostigmine, methyldopate, tetracaine and procaine. Ester hydrolysis is usually a bimolecular reaction involving acyl-oxygen…
The solubility of drugs
Figure 4.1 Diagrammatic representation of the three processes involved in the dissolution of a crystalline solute: the expression for the work involved is w22 + w11 − 2w12 (solute–solvent interaction in the last stage is…
Emulsions, suspensions and related colloidal systems
Figure 6.1 Photomicrographs of (a) an oil-in-water emulsion and (b) a suspension. Table 6.1 Main types of colloidal systems Type Disperse phase Continuous phase o/w emulsion Oil Water w/o emulsion Water Oil…
Parenteral routes of drug administration
Clinical point IA injection of BCNU (carmustine; bis-chloronitrosourea) in the treatment of malignant glioma results in levels of drug that are four times greater than those following IV infusion, but…
Physicochemical properties of drugs in solution
Concentration is often given in grams per litre (g L−1) rather than kilograms per cubic metre (kg m−3). Note also that 1 mg mL−1 is therefore also equal to 1 kg m−3. Molarity is commonly expressed…
Peptides, proteins and monoclonal antibodies
1.5 Prostatic carcinoma therapy Somatostatin 3.1 Growth inhibition Calcitonin 3.4 Ca2+ regulation Glucagon 3.5 Diabetes therapy Parathyroid hormone (1–34) 4.3 Ca2+ regulation Insulin 6 Diabetes therapy Parathyroid hormone (1–84) 9.4…
Physicochemical interactions and incompatibilities
Figure 11.1 Solubility curves for total parenteral nutrition solutions containing amino acid (15 g dm–3) and 10% dextrose at pH 5.5. Dotted line: Aminosyn. Solid line: TrophAmine. Dashed lines: relative calcium-to-phosphate ratios. Modified…
Drug absorption basics and the oral route
Figure 8.1 Model of a biological membrane showing the different compositions of the interior and exterior sides. Glycolipids are seen on the outside, while phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol predominate on the cytosolic…
Adverse events: the role of formulations and delivery systems
Figure 12.1 Drug/human factors and dosage form factors in adverse events following medication administration. Modified from Uchegbu IF, Florence AT. Adverse drug events related to dosage forms and delivery systems. Drug…
