Preface

Pharmacology appeared as a science around the XIX century, based on an experimental approach and evolved over the years. Today it studies the clinical efficacy or toxicity of drugs in biological systems, as well as the role of genetic factors in the drug responses.

In this book we have tried to do a very detailed discussion on the receptors, pharmacogenetics and various other aspects, such as future applications in pharmacology.

The first section of the book contains chapters which are discussing the role of molecular pharmacology of several receptors (e.g. cannabinoid and GABA), while the second section describes experimental studies in immunopharmacology.

Today pharmacogenetics represents a new emerging branch of pharmacology which assesses the response to the drug based on genetic characteristics, therefore the third section is dedicated to this argument. The fourth section has been dedicated to clinical pharmacology and pharmacovigilance, while the fifth section is explaining the implication of pharmacology in diagnostic. The chapters whose main topic is related to etnopharmacology and toxicology are included in sixth section. Finally, the last section is dedicated to future applications.

> **Luca Gallelli**  Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Catanzaro, Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Mater Domini Hospital, Italy

**Part 1** 

**Pharmacodynamic** 
