Department Of Pharmacy

BIOPHARMACEUTICS
PLASMA DRUG CONCENTRATION TIME
CURVE
Submitted To:
SIR MOOSA RAZA
Submitted By:
ZAIN HANIF

BPD-01093-263

NABEELA ANWAR

BPD-01101-007

IFRA EHSAN
HINA ZAINAB

BPD-01101-025
BPD-01101-

028
SEHAR ANJUM

BPD-01101-035

SALWA NAEEM BUTT BPD-01101-073

(Section 7th A)

PLASMA DRUG CONCENTRATION

TIME CURVE GRAPH
The plasma drug concentration-time curve graph is generated by obtaining the drug
concentration in plasma samples taken at various intervals after the drug product is
administrated.

GRAPH
The concentration of drug (mg/ml) in each plasma sample is plotted against time (hr.) at which
the plasma sample was removed.
Plasma Drug concentration = X-axis
Time = Y-axis

PURPOSE
It is a way to determine:

MEC (Minimum effective Concentration)

MTC (Minimum toxic Concentration)
Systemic drug bioavailability
Duration of Action

PHARMACOLOGIC PARAMETERS
The relationship of the drug level-time curve and various pharmacologic parameters for the drug
are:

MEC:
abbreviation for Minimum Effective Concentration
It is the Minimum concentration of drug needed at the receptors to produce the desired
pharmacologic effect.
For some drugs, such as those acting on autonomic nervous system, it is useful to know the
concentration of drug that will just barely produce a pharmacologic effect.

MTC:
abbreviation for Minimum Toxic Concentration
It is the concentration needed to just barely produce a toxic effect.

ONSET TIME:
It is the time required by the drug to reach the MEC

TERMINATION TIME:
It is time for the drug to decline back to the MEC.

DURATION OF ACTION:
It is the difference between the Onset time and the termination time.
It is also defined as the time at which the drug remains above the MEC.

THERAPEUTIC WINDOW:
It is the concentration between the MEC and MTC.
Drugs with the wide therapeutic window are generally considered safer than drugs with narrow
therapeutic window.

PHARMACOKINETIC TERMS:
Peak plasma level
AUC (Area under Curve)

Peak plasma level:

It is the maximum drug concentration in the plasma and is a rough marker of average rate of drug
absorption.
tmax: It is the time of Peak plasma concentration
The time required to reach maximum drug concentration after drug administration.
At tmax Peak plasma drug absorption occurs and the rate of drug absorption exactly equals to rate
of drug elimination. The value for tmax will be smaller as the absorption rate for the drug
becomes more rapid. (Indicating less time required to reach peak plasma concentration)
UNIT: Units for tmax are units of time (e.g. hours, minutes)

Cmax: It is the Peak plasma drug concentration

It represents the maximum plasma drug concentration obtained after oral administration of drug.
UNIT: units for Cmax are concentration units (e.g. mg/ml, ng/ml)

AUC: Area Under Plasma level-time curve:

AUC is related to the amount of drug absorbed systemically. It is a measurement of the extent of
drug bioavailability. For many drugs AUC is directly proportional to the dose.

Difference between PLTC of extravascular and vascular

administration:
Vascular administration has no absorption phase.

Factors affecting Plasma Concentration Time Curve:

Gastric emptying time

 Intestinal Transit Time

Gastrointestinal Abnormality / Pathology

Gastric Content

Gastrointestinal pH

Drug metabolism (first pass effect)

REFRENCE:
Applied Bio-pharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics (6th edition) by
Leon Shargel.