OVERVIEW

Drug metabolism is a very important step belonging to rational drug design and it consists of two types of metabolic reactions: phase 1 and phase 2. Together with absorption, distribution and excretion they represent an obstacle to drug bioavailability. The course is composed of paragraphs dealing with metabolic reactions on known drugs on the market, factors affecting drugs metabolism and main enzymes involved in this physiological process.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course provides the students with the basic concepts of the metabolism of drugs and other xenobiotics. Besides describing the main Phase 1 and 2 reactions involved, the course deal with the latest in vivo and in vitro technologies used to study drug metabolism, as well as the main enzymatic systems responsible for these biotransformations.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Attendance and active involvement in this course, together with individual learning ability, will allow students to achieve deep knowledge of these topics:

- metabolic reactions occurring on the main drugs currently available on pharmaceutical market

- main metabolic reactions mechanism and enzymes involved

- most important techniques for in vitro and in vivo drugs metabolism studies

- main factors affecting drugs metabolism.

PREREQUISITES

Basic information on human anatomy and physiology, organic chemistry, most common functional groups and their peculiar reactions, biology, genetics and toxicology are essential  to efficiently address all the course contents.

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of lessons about theoretical aspects of drugs metabolic reactions followed by practical examples of drugs currently available on the pharmaceutical market. In its individual work students will have to acquire knowledge and basic concepts about all the metabolic reactions responsible for chemical changes of administered drugs. This teaching establishes indispensable attendance at the teorethical lessons for which the teacher uses power point presentations, in order to help students in their learning abilities. At the beginning of each lessons, teacher shortly sums up the salient points of the previous lesson. In addition, the pdf formats of the complete power point presentations are made available for students on the website Aul@Web.

Any Student with documented Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or with any special needs, should contact the Lecturer(s) and to the dedicated SLD Representative in the Department before class begins, in order to liaise and arrange the specific teaching methods so that the learning aims and outcomes may be met.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course programme consists of these following subjects:

- Drug and ADME concept definitions

- Drugs metabolism studies history

- Main techniques for in vitro and in vivo drugs metabolism study

- Different factors affecting drugs metabolism

- Toxicity related to drugs metabolism

- Phase 1 metabolic reactions

- Phase 2 metabolic reactions.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The teacher set up this course by putting together several subjects coming from books about drugs metabolism. For this reason students don't have to buy any books because all the slides used throughout lessons, together with notes taken by students during the explanations, are sufficient to pass the exam.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral examination lasting about 45 minutes per students. Student will be asked 3 questions about these topics and according to this order: 1) drug absorption and distribution; 2) phase 1 drugs metabolism: 3) phase 2 drugs metabolism. To each question will be assigned a score from 1 to 10 and the final mark will be the sum of the 3 scores. The minimum mark to pass the exam is 18. The number of rounds available for students, both having and not having completed university exams within set time period and possible extraordinary rounds, will be carried out according to the current course of study rules.  

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Details about the degree of in-depth analyses of each subject and how properly prepare the exam, will be given during lessons. The oral exam will concern topics discussed throughout taught classes and will have the aim to both evaluate the appropriate knowledge level acquired by students and their ability to predict what kind of metabolic reactions will occur on new drugs.

Exam schedule