Pharmacology Solved 2
Pharmacology Solved 2
Pharmacology Solved 2
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Penicillin G (Benzylpenicillin) is an example of a weak acid. It has a pKa of 2.8. About 60% of Penicillin G
is bound to plasma proteins. The pharmacokinetic calculations below are based on a urine pH of 5.8, a
plasma drug concentration of 3μg/mL, a glomerular filtration rate of 100 mL/min, and a measured drug
excretion rate of 1200 μg/min.
i. To calculate the free drug plasma concentration, we need to use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation:
pH = pKa + log([A-]/[HA])
where pH is the urine pH, pKa is the dissociation constant of the drug, [A-] is the concentration of the
drug in its ionized form, and [HA] is the concentration of the drug in its non-ionized form (i.e. the free
drug).
Given that the urine pH is 5.8 and the pKa of Penicillin G is 2.8, we can calculate:
Since the total plasma concentration of Penicillin G is 3 μg/mL, and 60% of it is bound to plasma
proteins, the free drug concentration can be calculated as:
ii. The drug filtration rate can be calculated using the formula:
Filtration rate = GFR × free drug concentration
where GFR is the glomerular filtration rate. Plugging in the values, we get:
iii. The drug reabsorption rate can be calculated as the difference between the drug filtered at the
glomerulus and the drug excreted in the urine:
The negative sign indicates that Penicillin G is being reabsorbed from the renal tubules back into the
bloodstream.
iv. The drug secretion rate can be calculated as the difference between the drug excreted in the urine
and the amount of drug that would be excreted if there was no tubular secretion: