GPAT Pharmacology Syllabus

Pharmacology syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Pharmacology in GPAT, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   General Pharmacology

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

2. 2

   Principles of toxicology

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

3. 3

   Drugs acting on urinary system

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

4. 4

   Pharmacology of peripheral nervous system

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

5. 5

   Pharmacology of central nervous System

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

6. 6

   Pharmacology of cardiovascular system

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

7. 7

   Immunopharmacology

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

8. 8

   Drugs acting on Respiratory system

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

9. 9

   Pharmacology of Endocrine system

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

10. 10

    Neurohumoral transmission in autonomic and central nervous system

    overview

    Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

11. 11

    Vitamins & Minerals

    overview

    Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

12. 12

    Chemotherapy

    overview

    Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

13. 13

    Autacoids and their Antagonists

    overview

    Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

14. 14

    Pharmacology of drug acting on the gastrointestinal tract

    overview

    Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

15. 15

    Chronopharmacology

    overview

    Examined as a single unit within Pharmacology — no further topic split in the official outline.

Pharmacology flashcards for GPAT

25 of 50 cards from the Pharmacology deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Define pharmacology.

   The branch of science dealing with the study of drugs and their interactions with living systems, including their sources, properties, actions, and uses.

2. Differentiate pharmacokinetics from pharmacodynamics.

   Pharmacokinetics is what the body does to the drug (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion); pharmacodynamics is what the drug does to the body (mechanism of action and effects).

3. What are the four processes (ADME) of pharmacokinetics?

   Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism (biotransformation), and Excretion.

4. Define bioavailability.

   The fraction of an administered drug dose that reaches the systemic circulation in unchanged form; it is 100% for the intravenous route by definition.

5. What is the first-pass (presystemic) metabolism?

   Metabolism of an orally administered drug in the gut wall and liver before it reaches systemic circulation, reducing its bioavailability.

6. Define volume of distribution (Vd) and give its formula.

   The apparent volume into which a drug distributes to give the observed plasma concentration. Vd = Total amount of drug in body / Plasma drug concentration.

7. Define drug clearance (CL).

   The volume of plasma cleared of a drug per unit time. CL = Rate of elimination / Plasma concentration; total clearance is the sum of hepatic, renal, and other clearances.

8. Give the formula relating elimination half-life to Vd and clearance.

   t½ = 0.693 × Vd / CL.

9. What is the elimination half-life (t½)?

   The time required for the plasma concentration (or amount in the body) of a drug to decrease by 50%.

10. Differentiate zero-order from first-order kinetics.

    In zero-order kinetics a constant amount of drug is eliminated per unit time (saturable, rate independent of concentration); in first-order kinetics a constant fraction is eliminated per unit time (rate proportional to concentration).

11. Name three drugs that follow zero-order (saturation) kinetics at therapeutic doses.

    Phenytoin, ethanol, and aspirin (high dose); also theophylline and warfarin at high doses.

12. What is the loading dose formula?

    Loading dose = (Target plasma concentration × Vd) / Bioavailability (F).

13. What is the maintenance dose formula?

    Maintenance dose rate = (Target concentration × Clearance) / Bioavailability (F).

14. Define therapeutic index (TI).

    A measure of drug safety; TI = TD50/ED50 (or LD50/ED50 in animals). A higher TI indicates a wider margin of safety.

15. Differentiate ED50, TD50, and LD50.

    ED50 = dose producing the therapeutic effect in 50% of the population; TD50 = dose producing toxicity in 50%; LD50 = dose lethal to 50% of test animals.

16. What are Phase I and Phase II reactions in drug metabolism?

    Phase I (non-synthetic): oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis—introduce/expose a functional group. Phase II (synthetic): conjugation (glucuronidation, sulfation, acetylation, etc.) producing more water-soluble metabolites.

17. Which enzyme system carries out most Phase I oxidation reactions?

    The hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 (CYP450) mixed-function oxidase system.

18. Name two important enzyme inducers and two inhibitors of CYP450.

    Inducers: rifampicin, phenobarbitone, phenytoin, carbamazepine. Inhibitors: cimetidine, ketoconazole, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin.

19. What is an agonist versus an antagonist?

    An agonist binds a receptor and produces a response (has affinity and intrinsic activity); an antagonist binds the receptor but produces no response and blocks agonist action (has affinity but no intrinsic activity).

20. Differentiate a competitive from a non-competitive antagonist.

    A competitive antagonist binds reversibly at the same site, shifting the agonist dose-response curve rightward (surmountable); a non-competitive antagonist reduces maximal response (Emax) and is not overcome by increasing agonist.

21. Define partial agonist.

    A drug with affinity but submaximal intrinsic activity; it produces a lower maximal response than a full agonist and can act as an antagonist in the presence of a full agonist. Example: buprenorphine, pindolol.

22. What is potency versus efficacy?

    Potency refers to the dose required to produce an effect (lower dose = more potent); efficacy is the maximal effect a drug can produce regardless of dose.

23. What is the difference between affinity and intrinsic activity?

    Affinity is the ability of a drug to bind to its receptor; intrinsic activity (efficacy) is the ability of the bound drug to produce a response.

24. Classify the cholinergic (muscarinic and nicotinic) receptor subtypes and their main coupling.

    Muscarinic (GPCR): M1, M3, M5 couple to Gq (↑IP3/DAG); M2, M4 couple to Gi (↓cAMP). Nicotinic: ligand-gated ion channels (NM at neuromuscular junction, NN in ganglia/CNS).

25. Classify adrenergic receptors and their second messengers.

    α1 → Gq (↑IP3/DAG); α2 → Gi (↓cAMP); β1, β2, β3 → Gs (↑cAMP).

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