Introduction to Pharmacodynamics

O b je c t Iv e s 1. Understand the physiology behind the gastrointestinal tract and the route of oral drug administration and physiological influences on pharmacodynamics. 2. Understand the dynamics and functions of the major signal transduction systems and their different biomedical and biological responses in regard to receptor–ligand interactions. 3. Learn about the dynamics and mathematical expressions behind receptor–ligand interactions. 4. Understand dose–response relationships and factors that affect a pharmacological response. 5. Learn about agonistic, antagonistic, and partial agonistic binding of drugs to receptors. 6. Learn about different concepts such as addition, synergism, and potentiation that lead to an enhancement effect of drugs. 7. List a few regulatory mechanisms for receptors. 8. Implement a series of Learning Bridge assignments at your experiential sites to bridge your didactic learning with your experiential experiences.