How are most drugs absorbed by the body?
Table of Contents
- 1 How are most drugs absorbed by the body?
- 2 Where are drugs most commonly absorbed in the body?
- 3 Can drugs be absorbed through the stomach?
- 4 Why are basic drugs not absorbed in the stomach?
- 5 Which of the drug is most likely to be absorbed from the stomach?
- 6 What factors can slow down the absorption of a drug from the gastrointestinal tract?
How are most drugs absorbed by the body?
The most common mechanism of absorption for drugs is passive diffusion. This process can be explained through the Fick law of diffusion, in which the drug molecule moves according to the concentration gradient from a higher drug concentration to a lower concentration until equilibrium is reached.
Where are drugs most commonly absorbed in the body?
For these reasons, most drugs are absorbed primarily in the small intestine, and acids, despite their ability as un-ionized drugs to readily cross membranes, are absorbed faster in the intestine than in the stomach (for review, see [1.
Can drugs be absorbed through the stomach?
The human stomach is capable of absorbing most acidic drugs and the very weakly basic drugs. Salicylic acid, aspirin, thiopental, secobarbital and antipyrine, which are undissociated in the acidic gastric contents, were readily absorbed.
How are drugs absorbed?
Absorption is the process of delivering a drug into the blood stream. Absorption can be accomplished by administering the drug in a variety of different ways (e.g. orally, rectally, intra-muscularly, subcutaneously, inhalation, topically, etc.).
Which is the major process of absorption for more than 90\% of drugs?
Which is the major process of absorption for more than 90\% of drugs? Explanation: Passive diffusion is also known as non-ionic diffusion. It is the major process through which 90\% of the drugs get absorbed.
Why are basic drugs not absorbed in the stomach?
This is because the stomach has a smaller surface area, and the drug usually does not spend very long in there (see the section on gastric motility). Moreover some drugs are ionised by gastric pH and do not absorb very well (i.e. they are less lipid soluble in that state).
Which of the drug is most likely to be absorbed from the stomach?
Theoretically, weakly acidic drugs (eg, aspirin) are more readily absorbed from an acid medium (stomach) than are weakly basic drugs (eg, quinidine).
What factors can slow down the absorption of a drug from the gastrointestinal tract?
Drug absorption from the gastrointestinal tract
| Drug factors: | |
|---|---|
| Concentration | A large drug dose will be absorbed more rapidly because of the high concentration gradient |
| Intestinal motility | Intestinal motility can increase or decrease absorption (eg. slow gut transit can ensure complete absorption of a drug bezoar) |
What is the most important characteristic of a drug to be absorbed after oral administration?
When a drug is taken orally, it must be able to survive the low pH and presence of potentially degrading enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract before it can be absorbed into the bloodstream.