Oral Drug Delivery and Absorption

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary related to oral drug delivery and absorption processes, helping students prepare for exams.

Bioavailability

The rate and extent to which the active ingredient or active moiety is absorbed and becomes available at the site of action.

Rate-limiting step

The slowest step in a series of processes affecting drug absorption, often determining the overall rate of absorption into systemic circulation.

GIT

Gastrointestinal Tract, a muscular tube extending from mouth to anus, involved in the digestion and absorption of nutrients and drugs.

Mucus

A viscoelastic substance that acts as a protective layer in the gastrointestinal tract and assists in lubrication.

Pepsin

An enzyme secreted in the stomach that breaks down proteins into peptides, activated from its precursor pepsinogen.

First pass metabolism

The metabolic process where the concentration of a drug is greatly reduced before it reaches the systemic circulation.

Sustained-release

A drug formulation design that releases a drug over an extended period of time.

Transepidermal absorption

The permeation of drug substances through the skin's layers into systemic circulation.

Dissolution

The process of transferring molecules from a solid state to a solution.

Villi

Finger-like projections in the small intestine that increase the surface area for absorption.