Background

Background:	The first independent Hungarian Department of Pharmacology was founded in Pest in 1872, following the example of foreign universities. Previously pharmacology was involved in physiology, later in pathology and was thought within the framework of these subjects. The recent name of the institute (from 1999) is Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy reflects the extended profile of the department.
Profile:	With the rapid advance of new pharmaceuticals the institute has a moral obligation to select and qualify the therapeutic agents on a proper professional basis. In the graduate education there is special emphasis on the new drugs introduced into the Hungarian market.
Teaching:	The department is responsible for teaching pharmacology and toxicology and since 1999 also clinical pharmacology and rational pharmacotherapy to fourth-year medical and dental students in Hungarian, English and German. The staffs of the department actively participate also in the post-graduate teaching of doctors and dentists.
Research:	- Research activities of the department include the investigation of the heterogeneity of opioid receptors in order to recognise their role in the pharmacological actions of various opioids, their abuse potential included. Investigation of new semi-synthetic and peptide ligands of these receptors is also in progress. - Behaviour pharmacological experiments complete the pharmacological assessment of centrally acting substances. -The analysis of the mechanisms of action of non-steroid anti-inflammatory substances, particularly those not related to prostaglandins, and the investigation of gastroprotective mechanisms (both central and peripheral) constitute an additional research program. - Beside the in vivo studies experiments are performed on measurement of different transmitter release from brain slices gained from different regions of the brain. - Influence of neurotransmission by different compounds in peripheral nerve terminal has been also analysed in isolated organ systems. - Other studies deal with cardiac ion transport mechanisms and the effect of different agents on the electric parameters, action potential of the heart. - Regulation of blood pressure also an additional field of the research carried out ion the Department. - Several methods for pharmacokinetic studies and separation techniques have also been developed.