Glossary of Pharmacology 

AUC 

Area under the plasma concentration versus time curve.

AUC reflects exposure to a drug after administration and is typically expressed in the units mg • h/L. AUC is determined by taking the integral of the relationship between plasma concentrations of a drug over time. AUC is also sometimes determined by the trapezoid rule. AUC is proportional to the dose of the drug and inversely proportional to clearance. Some useful equations to determine AUC from pharmacokinetic data are:  

AUC_oral = F • D/CL (where F = bioavailability; D = dose of the drug; CL = clearance)

AUC_IV = C₍₀₎/k_el (where C₍₀₎ is the concentration of drug at time 0 and k_el is the elimination rate constant) 

 

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