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GENERAL PHARMACOLOGY

SOURCES OF DRUGS

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
1. PLANTS
- Crude medicinal preparations made from
plants is called ‘galenicals’ because they
were extensively used and popularized
by Galen, the famous Greek physician
- Contain biologically active ingredients

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
A. PLANTS:
(a) Alkaloids; are alkali-like basic nitrogen containing
substances found in plants e.g.
- Morphine (narcotic analgesic) form unripe capsules of
Papaver somniferum.
- Ephrine (bronchodilator) from plant Ephedra vulgaris.
- Atropine (anticholinergic) from leaves of Atropa
belladonna.
- Quinine (antimalarial) from bark of Cinchona.
- Reserpine (antihypertensive) form root of Rauwolfia
serpentine
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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
(b) Glycosides
• Ether like combination of sugars and non-
sugar moiety
• Example of glycoside is digoxin, a cardiac
stimulant obtained from the leaves of
Digitalis purpurea of Digitalis lanata.

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
(c) Oils
• They are immiscible with water but dissolve readily in
solvents like ether, chloroform and alcohol. Oils of
medicinal value can be divided into three classes:
(i) Fixes Oiled
• Chemically these are esters of fatty acids and glycerol.
• Most of them are edible oils e.g. ground nut oil,
coconut oil, mustard oil, olive oil.
• Some have pharmacological actions e.g. castor oil
(purgative) & code live oil (rich source of vitamin A and
D).

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
(ii) Volatile Oils
• These are terpenes or their polymers.
• They are also essential or flavouring oils.
• Most of them are liquids. For example,
- clove oil (relives pain when applied locally
specially in toothache),
- coriander oil , ginger oil(carminative, for expulsion of
gas from the stomach),
- methyle salicylate (oil of Wintergreen) and turpentine oil (counter
irritant, applied locally to relive pain in arthralgia).
• Few volatile oil exist in a solid form e.g. camphor and menthol.

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
(iii) Mineral Oils
• They are hydrocarbon by chemical nature and
obtained from petroleum e.g. liquid paraffin
(lubricant and laxative).
d) Resins
• They are formed by oxidation or polymerization
of volatile oils, e.g. podophyllum, colocynth,
jalap.
• They are more of toxicological importance than
pharmacological

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
e) Oleo-resins.
• They are mixture of resins and volatile oil e.g. benzoin
(antiseptic
f) Gums
• They are secretary products of plants.
• Chemically they are related to polysaccharides. They form
thick mucilage when mixed with water.
• Some gums are pharmacologically inert and mainly used
as emulsifying agents e.g. gum acacia , gum tragacanth;
while other gums are active e.g. agar (bulk purgative), gum
guggul (hypolilpidemic).

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
g) Tannins
• They are non nitrogenous compounds
characterized by their astringent actions on
the mucous membranes, i.e. they precipitate
protein from the cells of the mucous
membranes and have a protective action.

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
2. Animals
• Some drugs are obtained form animals. Examples are as
follows:
- Insulin (hypoglycemic) form pancreas of
sheep, oxen and pigs.
- Thyroid extract (hypothyroidism) from
thyroid glands of oxen.
- Gonadotropins (Sex hormones) from serum
of pregnant mares.
- Pepsin (enzymes) from stomach of pigs and oxen.

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
3. Human
• Some drugs are available form human
source. Examples are as follows:
- Immunoglobulin from blood.
- Growth hormone from interior pituitary
-Chorionic gonadotropin from urine of
pregnant women
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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
4. Microbes
• They are mainly the source of antibiotics , i.e. chemical
substances produced by one type of microorganism and
lethal to others e.g.
- Penicillin from the fungus Penicillium chrysogenum.
- Streptomycine, neomycin and actinomycin from
Actinomycetaceae.
- Griseofulvin from pencillium griseofulvum.
- Nystatin form Streptomyces nouresi.
• Apart from antibiotics, certain other drugs have also been
derived from microorganisms e.g. the enzyme
streptokinase (fibrinolytic) as obtained from streptococcus.
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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
5. Minerals
• Some elementary substances like iron, iodine and sulphur are used in
the treatment of diseases.
• Some metallic compounds like antimony salts for kalaazar and bismuth
salts for peptic ulcer are valuable drugs. Similarly magnesium and
aluminium salts are widely used in antacid preparations.
- Iodine in Lugol`s iodine for thyrotoxicosis and tincture iodine as
antiseptic.
- Magnesium suphate as a purgative.
- Magnesium trisilicate & Aluminium hydroxide in antacid
preparations.
- Radioactive isotopes (I131) in diagnosis and treatment of thyroid
disorders and (P32) in polycythemia vera.

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 SOURCES OF DRUGS
6.synthetic
• Many new drugs today are synthetic.
• Even some of the drugs that were originally obtained form
natural sources can be synthesized now, e.g.
chloramphenicol.
• A study of the structure-activity relationship of known
drugs often helps to make purposeful modification of the
molecules so as to develop new drugs with desirable
actions.
• New semisynthetic pencilllins, corticosteroids, cardio
vascular drugs and diuretic etc. are few of the important
examples.

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