Pharmacology

This text describes the mechanisms by which drugs act and relates these to their overall pharmacological effects and clinical uses. This new edition emphasizes the chemical structures of those drugs for which knowledge of structure-activity relationships enhances appreciation of how the drugs act. It also includes new drugs, including drugs used not in therapy but in research. As regards other new material, the authors have taken into account new agents and also extensions of basic knowledge which presage further drug development. There are new chapters on 5-HT, on peptides as mediators, and on the control of lipoprotein metabolism. The references have been extended with the needs of postgraduate and university teachers in mind. Key points are included in relevant sections to help students' revision, while features retained from the first edition include the brief introductory summaries of relevant physiological and biochemical factors at the beginning of the chapter which form a basis for subsequent treatment.