COMPLEMENTS OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND TOXICOLOGY CHEMISTRY

Course objectives

COMPLEMENTS OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY General objectives The course in Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry Complements is an optional course aimed at providing the student with the basics of the study of pharmaceutical chemistry. To do this after some introductory lessons on the subject, only some classes of drugs will be studied (the complete study is referred to the courses of Pharmaceutical Chemistry 1 and 2) in order to provide information on the pharmaceutical and toxicological properties of drugs. Specific objectives 1. Knowledge and understanding The student will be able to describe the drug according to all its characteristics: synthesis, metabolism, mechanism of action, metabolism and any adverse effects. 2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding At the end of the course, the student will be able to place the drugs in their own class linked to the therapeutic indication. Furthermore the knowledge of the synthesis and therefore of the chemical structure will be fundamental to allow the student, the identification of the mechanism of action, the dosage, the active metabolites and to highlight possible interactions with other drugs; furthermore, the knowledge of the chemical structures of the drugs will allow the student to understand to design molecules necessary to increase bioavailability or to improve absorption (prodrugs). 3. Autonomy of judgment The teacher will stimulate students to develop the logical-critical sense by giving interactive lessons, through frequent questions during the lesson, with the aim of inducing them to acquire the ability to connect the various concepts defined in the program, of mastery of the subject. At the end of the course the students will be able to grasp the important points of a scientific publication concerning a new generation drug and plan a research concerning the topics covered in order to broaden their scientific knowledge. This capacity will be tested in the classroom through an exposure of 15-20 minutes of a drug chosen by the student (among the classes treated in classrooms) in which all the points defined during the lessons must have been developed. The exhibition will then be the subject of discussion between the teacher and the students. 4. Communication skills Through the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, of the ability to apply them and to propose a critical judgment on the topics dealt with, but also through the use of the relative scientific language used by the teacher during the course and the frequent stimulation to the communication of what was learned in lesson, the student will be able to communicate with cognitive and linguistic-perceptive depth with his / her peers and / or belonging to an inherent scientific and social community or of different cultural background. 5. Learning skills The student who has acquired the abilities described above may be able to undertake future studies in a more autonomous, self-managed and rapid manner, but also to propose thematic social and / or work contexts useful to the scientific progress of society in the field of human health.

Channel 1
ROSSELLA FIORAVANTI Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
Pharmaceutical chemistry and drugs; drug discovery and experimentation, phases I, II, III and pharmacovigilance. The discovery of new drugs: random discovery, copying of pre-existing drugs, systematic and targeted screening, from natural substances (artemisinin, taxol), amplification of side effects (sildenafil), identification of metabolites of known drugs. Medicines and their properties. Classification of drugs, names of drugs, routes of drug administration. Notes on the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of drugs. Outline of phase 1 and phase 2 metabolism. Topical anti-infective drugs and organic and inorganic drugs: Chlorine and derivatives, Iodine and derivatives; Hydrogen peroxide, boric acid, potassium and derivatives, silver and mercury in pharmaceutical preparations and devices; aluminum and magnesium in pharmaceutical preparations; ethanol use and toxicity. Biotechnological drugs; generality; ways of obtaining biotech drugs; RDNA biotechnologies; restriction endonucleases and their nomenclature; DNA ligases; vectors for the cloning of exogenous DNA: plasimides and phages. Protein production in prokaryotic cell cultures. Biotechnological drugs: classification: therapeutic proteins with regulatory or enzymatic activity (insulin, calcitonin, octreotide, erythropoietin, tissue plasminogen activator) therapeutic proteins that confer new functions and activities (DNAase I); therapeutic proteins aimed at specific targets: monoclonal antibodies; murine, chimeric, humanized and human antibodies; examples; cetuximab, enfuvirtide. Protein vaccines: gardasil and cervarix; nomenclature of monoclonal antibodies. Examples of clinical use of biotechnological drugs: drugs for oncology, for the immune system, for the cardiovascular system, for the endocrine system, for the respiratory system. Radiopharmaceuticals: nuclear medicine and radioactivity; diagnostic imaging techniques, in vitro and therapeutic techniques. Radioactivity and radioactive decay methods, origin of radiation (α decay; β- decay, β + decay, electron capture); the rate of decay. Radiopharmaceutical preparations; properties and classification of tracer radiopharmaceuticals; systems for the production of radionuclides for medical use; cyclotron, nuclear reactor, generator. Radiation damage, radiation protection, diagnostic imaging damage risk; the gamma camera. Magnetic resonance imaging, contrast media. Iodine radiopharmaceuticals: iodine -123; iodine-131 and their preparations; Technetium-based radiopharmaceuticals: technetium bicisate, technetium medronate; Radiopharmaceuticals based on Fluorine-18: 18F-FDG. Quality control of radiopharmaceuticals; diagnostic reference levels (LDR) Laxative drugs; irritating laxatives (castor oil); anthraquinone drugs (senna, cascara, aloe, frangula, rhubarb); synthetic irritant purgatives (bisacodyl); agents that increase fecal mass. Use of laxatives. Prodrugs and bioprecursors; types of prodrugs: carrier pro drug: dual, three-component, prodrug mortgages and related examples; enzymatic prodrugs such as ADEPT.
Prerequisites
The course of Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Chemistry is at the 3rd year of the Pharmacy course and is an optional course chosen by the student who is interested in the subjects of the degree course such as Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacology. In order to easily follow the teaching requires knowledge of knowledge of pharmaceutical chemistry and notions of pharmacology.
Books
Introduzione alla Chimica farmaceutica – Graham L. Patrich – Ed Edises Chimica farmaceutica – Gasco, Gualtieri, Melchiorre – casa Ed. Ambrosiana Foye – Principi di Chimica Farmaceutica - Piccin
Frequency
Course attendance is mandatory;
Exam mode
Students are assessed mainly through a written test in which the learning of the subject and the mastery that the student has acquired in the pharmaceutical field will be verified; the test consists of multiple choice questions whose score is clearly stated on the paper.
Lesson mode
Lessons are administered in the classroom exclusively in person; during the lesson we seek interaction with the student through questions relating to the background useful for learning the subject
  • Lesson code10596547
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CoursePharmacy
  • CurriculumCurriculum unico
  • Year3rd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDCHIM/08
  • CFU6