Biomaterial Database

Chronobiology, drug-delivery, and chronotherapeutics. 2007

Björn Lemmer

Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Heidelberg, Maybachstrasse 14, D-68169 Mannheim, Germany. bjoern.lemmer@pharmtox.uni-heidelberg.de

All functions in man are highly organized in time as biological rhythms of diverse periods, both in health and in disease. This represents a challenge for those involved in the development of drug-delivery systems to make possible the treatment of illness according to these physiological biological rhythms as a means of improving therapeutic outcomes. Though constant-release drug-delivery systems seem to improve patient compliance to many diverse treatments (e.g., for hypertension), rhythmicity in biological functions and in the mechanisms of disease should be mirrored by respective drug-release programs.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002909	Chronobiology Phenomena	Biological systems as affected by time. Aging, biological rhythms, and cyclic phenomena are included. Statistical, computer-aided mathematical procedures are used to describe, in mathematical terminology, various biological functions over time.	Chronobiology Concepts,Chronobiology Phenomenon,Chronobiology Concept,Concept, Chronobiology,Concepts, Chronobiology,Phenomena, Chronobiology,Phenomenon, Chronobiology
D002940	Circadian Rhythm	The regular recurrence, in cycles of about 24 hours, of biological processes or activities, such as sensitivity to drugs or environmental and physiological stimuli.	Diurnal Rhythm,Nyctohemeral Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythm,Nycthemeral Rhythm,Circadian Rhythms,Diurnal Rhythms,Nycthemeral Rhythms,Nyctohemeral Rhythms,Rhythm, Circadian,Rhythm, Diurnal,Rhythm, Nycthemeral,Rhythm, Nyctohemeral,Rhythm, Twenty-Four Hour,Rhythms, Circadian,Rhythms, Diurnal,Rhythms, Nycthemeral,Rhythms, Nyctohemeral,Rhythms, Twenty-Four Hour,Twenty Four Hour Rhythm,Twenty-Four Hour Rhythms
D004334	Drug Administration Schedule	Time schedule for administration of a drug in order to achieve optimum effectiveness and convenience.	Administration Schedule, Drug,Administration Schedules, Drug,Drug Administration Schedules,Schedule, Drug Administration,Schedules, Drug Administration
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D016503	Drug Delivery Systems	Systems for the delivery of drugs to target sites of pharmacological actions. Technologies employed include those concerning drug preparation, route of administration, site targeting, metabolism, and toxicity.	Drug Targeting,Delivery System, Drug,Delivery Systems, Drug,Drug Delivery System,Drug Targetings,System, Drug Delivery,Systems, Drug Delivery,Targeting, Drug,Targetings, Drug