Unit 2 Lesson 1:

Pharmacokinetics PowerPoint Presentation

Amy Long
 Agenda
01 Introduction to Pharmacokinetics

02 What is ADME

03 Absorption

04 Distribution

05 Metabolism

06 Excretion

07 Conclusion

08 References

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 01
Introduction
Pharmacokinetics is in essence ‘the
study of what the body does to the
drug’. (Pezzullo, 2016). It examines
what happens to the medication from
entry into the body, its journey
throughout the body, right through to its
exit out of the body.

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02
ADME

The pharmacokinetics of a medication is made up of the 4 processes’

1: Absorption
2: Distribution
3: Metabolism
4: Excretion

Each process is affected by the administration of the medication and how the body organs function
 03
Absorption
Absorption is the first process of pharmacokinetics. The rate at which the drug is
absorbed into the body is affected by how the drug is administered.

There are many routes of administration:

• Oral • Intravenous • Intra-ocularly

• Rectal • Intramuscular • Inhaled

• Sublingual • Subcutaneous • Topical

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 Enteral vs Parenteral routes of administration

Enteral routes of administration, such as oral, sublingual and rectal are absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract, which
can reduce the effectiveness of the medication.

Whereas drugs administered via the parenteral route, such as intravenously and inhaled enter the bloodstream directly
and therefore are not absorbed and affected by the gastrointestinal tract. (Pharmapproach, 2021)

Route Advantages Disadvantages

Enteral e.g. Oral • Easily administered • Variable absorption
• Non-sterile • Not fast acting

Parenteral e.g. IV • Rapid acting • Risk of infection

• Can be administered if the • Administration is irreversible
patient is vomiting / unconscious

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 Other factors which affect the absorption of a medication include:

• The formulation of the medication – i.e. gasto-resistant / liquid

• Lipophilicity - rate at which the medication dissolves

• pH – acidity level within the body / of the medication

• Surface area – the larger the surface area the better absorption

• Other medications

• The patient – their age / metabolism / GI content

(Le, 2022)

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 04
Distribution
The 2nd aspect of pharmacokinetics looks at how the medication is distributed
throughout the body once it has been absorbed into the bloodstream.

Like absorption, the distribution of a medication is also affected by a number of factors :

• pH

• Solubility - fat soluble medications can cross cell membranes faster than water soluble medications

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 • Protein binding – medications which bind to protein are slower at leaving the bloodstream than those
which do not have protein binding properties

• Blood supply – medication will get to areas of the body that have an increased blood supply, such as the
heart, quicker than those that don’t, such as the skin.

• Patient – the age and weight of a patient can also affect the distribution of a drug as fat soluble drugs are
stored in body fat

(BrainKart)

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 05 Metabolism
The 3rd part of pharmacokinetics looks at how the drug is affected by enzymes in
the body.

Metabolism mainly occurs in the liver, however other organs that can affect metabolism are; the kidneys, plasma
and the membranes of the intestines. (BrainKart)

The process of metabolism depends on the drug. Some drug metabolites become inactive, some become active and
others remain the same, however the end process is the same – that they are excreted from the body.

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 The rate of metabolism can be affected by a number of factors:

• Age – infants and the elderly have a slower rate of metabolism

• Genes – some people naturally metabolise drugs faster than others

• Disease - Liver disease and heart failure slow down the rate of metabolism

• Other medication – drug interactions can speed up or slow down metabolism

As a result of drugs being metabolised at different rates, medication doses need to be reviewed.
Drugs that are metabolised quickly may need to be administered more frequently whilst drugs
that are metabolised slowly are longer acting and therefore need administering less frequently.
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 Phases of metabolism:
Phase 1
Oxidation. Reduction. Hydrolysis
The process of phase 1 results in the drug
becoming polar active
The drug has a longer half-life and
therefore stays in the body for longer
The drug goes through further metabolic
reactions before moving onto phase 2
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Phase 2
Conjugation
The process of phase 2 results in the drug
becoming polar inactive
The drug has a shorter half-life and
therefore leaves the body faster
The drug is excreted from the body
(Samanthi, 2019)
12
 06 Excretion
Excretion is the final process of pharmacokinetics whereby the drug is excreted from the body

Medication can be excreted in a number of ways:

• Urine – the kidneys filter the blood and the metabolised medication leaves the body via the urine.
However if the patient has poor kidney function this could reduce excretion

• Faecal – the liver also filters the blood. From the liver bile is created which moves into the gut to leave
the body via the rectal route. Some medication can be re-absorbed into the bloodstream via the journey
through the gut. And similarly to the kidneys if the patient has reduced liver function this will impact
excretion

• Sweat

• Breastmilk
(Le, 2022)
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• Lungs 13
07Conclusion

As can be seen all 4 parts of pharmacokinetics have an impact on how the body affects medication. The form of the
medication is not the only aspect that needs to be considered when prescribing a medication and dose, the patients
health also needs to be considered to avoid any adverse reactions, therefore all aspects of pharmacokinetics need to
be analysed and monitored in order to ensure the individual patient gets the best therapeutic effect from their
medication. (Grogan and Pruce, 2021).
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Bibliography
• Grogan, S. and Preuss, C., 2021. Pharmacokinetics. [online] Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557744/>
[Accessed 4 July 2022].

• Pharmapproach. (2022). Routes of Drug Administration: An Overview - Pharmapproach.com. [online] Available at:

<https://www.pharmapproach.com/routes-of-drug-administration/> [Accessed 4 July 2022].

• Pezzullo, J. (2016). Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics (PK/PD Studies) - dummies. [online] Available at:
<https://www.dummies.com/article/academics-the-arts/science/biology/pharmacokinetics-and-pharmacodynamics-pkpd-studies-149307/> [Accessed 1
July 2022].

• Le, J. (2022). Drug Absorption - Drugs - MSD Manual Consumer Version. [online] Available at:
<https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/home/drugs/administration-and-kinetics-of-drugs/drug-absorption> [Accessed 7 July 2022].

• BrainKart. Pharmacokinetics. [online] Available at: <https://www.brainkart.com/article/Pharmacokinetics_35547/> [Accessed 4 July 2022].

• Samanthi,D. (2019). Difference Between Phase I and Phase II Metabolism | Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. [online] Available at:
<https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-phase-i-and-phase-ii-metabolism/#:~:text=The%20key%20difference%20between
%20phase,drug%20to%20polar%20inactive%20metabolites.> [Accessed 7 July 2022].

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