Ewa Chabielska, Adrian Stankiewicz

Losy leku w ustroju - wybrane zagadnienia
2006-10-16

The history of drug in the body - selected issues. The speed of onset of drug action, the intensity of its effect, and the duration of action are controlled by four fundamental pathways of drug movement and modification in the body. First, absorption from the site of administration permits entry of the therapeutic agent (either directly or indirectly) into plasma. Second, the drug may then reversibly leave the bloodstream and is distributed into interstitial and intracellular fluids. Third, the drug may undergo metabolic transformation in the liver and other tissues to metabolic products which are more polar than the parent compound. Finally, the drug and its metabolites are eliminated from the body with the urine, bile and other body fluids. This paper presents selected aspects of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination.