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Edrophonium



Edrophonium
Systematic (IUPAC) name
ethyl-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-dimethyl-ammonium
Identifiers
CAS number 116-38-1
ATC code  ?
PubChem 3202
DrugBank APRD00944
Chemical data
Formula C10H16NO+
Mol. mass 166.24 g/mol
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability  ?
Metabolism  ?
Half life  ?
Excretion  ?
Therapeutic considerations
Pregnancy cat.

?

Legal status
Routes  ?

Edrophonium is a readily reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. It prevents breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and acts by competitively inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, mainly at the neuromuscular junction. It is sold under the trade names Tensilon, Enlon and Reversol.

Clinical uses

Because its duration of action is only about 10 minutes, edrophonium (by the so-called Tensilon test) is used to differentiate myasthenic crisis from cholinergic crisis. In myasthenic crisis, where a person is not able to produce enough neuromuscular stimulation, edrophonium will reduce the muscle weakness by effectively supplying more acetylcholine. In a cholinergic crisis, where a person has too much neuromuscular stimulation, edrophonium will make the muscle weakness worse by inducing a depolarizing block.

Sources

  1. Brenner, G. M. (2000). Pharmacology. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company. ISBN 0-7216-7757-6
  2. Canadian Pharmacists Association (2000). Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (25th ed.). Toronto, ON: Webcom. ISBN 0-919115-76-4


 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Edrophonium". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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