Glossary

Concentration

The amount of substance per unit of fluid, in this case units of activity per milliliter of blood.

Metabolization

When a molecule is changed into another (in this case, penicillin is metabolized by the liver)

Pathogen

A disease-causing organism. Penicillin is used for treament of bacterial pathogens, but is not effective against viral diseases.

Plasma

The watery part of your blood which contains disolved proteins

Protein binding

Proteins (large molecules normally present in plasma) attach themselves to the drug, making it impossible for the drug to work

Renal Filtration Rate

The amount of blood which is filtered through the kidneys in a given amount of time

Therapeutic Level/Concentration, or Threshold

The lowest effective level of drug

Volume of Distribution

The fluid volume through which the drug is distributed in the body

Units of Activity

A standardized measure of the amount of penicillin in terms of its effectiveness against pathogens. (One unit of activity of penicillin will eliminate the same amount of pathogen, regardless of penicillin type.)