Sunday, August 30, 2009

DRUG LISTING

Drug Listing: Autonomic Pharmacology

* Direct Muscarinic Agonists
o Choline Esters
o Alkaloids
* Direct Nicotinic Agonist
* Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor (Reversible)
* Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor (Irreversible)
* Muscarinic Antagonist
* 2-PAM
* Ganglionic Blockers



* Catecholamines
* Direct Adrenoceptor Agonists
* Indirect-Acting Sympathomimetics
* Alpha adrenoceptor Antagonists
* Beta-adrenoceptor Antagonists
* Adrenergic Neuron Blocking Drugs



Direct Muscarinic Agonists

Choline Esters

* Acetylcholine
* Bethanechol (Urecholine)
* Carbachol
* Methacholine (Provocholine)



Alkaloids

* Muscarine
* Pilocarpine (Pilocar)




Direct Nicotinic Agonist

Nicotine


Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors

Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors ("Reversible")

* Neostigmine (Prostigmin)
* Physostigmine (Antilirium)
* Edrophonium (Tensilon)



Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors ("Irreversible")

* Soman
* Parathion
* Malathion
* Isoflurophate (Floropryl)
* (Diisopropylflurorphosphate DFP)
* Echothiophate (Phospholine)



Muscarinic Antagonists

* Atropine
* Scopolamine
* Ipratropium (Atrovent)
* Pirenzepine (M1 selective)



2-PAM: Acetylcholinesterase Reactivator

* Pralidoxime (Protopam) {2-PAM}:peripheral acetylcholinesterase reactivator for certain phosphoryl-enzyme complexes



Ganglionic Blockers

* Mecamylamine (Inversine)
* Hexamethonium
* Trimethaphan



Catecholamines

DRUG

Epinephrine

Norepinephrine (Levophed)

Isoproterenol (Isuprel)

Dobutamine (Dobutrex)

Dopamine (Intropin)




Receptor Classification

alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1, beta-2

alpha-1, alpha-2, beta-1

beta-1, beta-2

beta-1 (alpha-1)

D-1 (alpha-1 and beta-1 at high doses)


Direct Adrenoceptor Agonists

Drug

Phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine)

Methoxamine (Vasoxyl)

Oxymetazoline (Afrin)

Clonidine (Catapres)

Ritodrine (Yutopar)

Terbutaline (Brethine)

Albuterol (Ventolin,Proventil)

Salmeterol (Serevent)




Receptor Classification

alpha-1

alpha-1

alpha-1, alpha-2

alpha-2

beta-2

beta-2

beta-2

beta-2


Indirect-Acting Sympathomimetics

Drug

Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine

Cocaine

Tyramine

Amphetamine




Mechanism of Action

Release & direct receptor activation

Uptake I inhibitor

Release

similar to ephedrine, but greater CNS actions


Alpha-Adrenoceptor Antagonists

Drug

Prazosin (Minipress)

Terazosin (Hytrin)

Trimazosin

Doxazosin (Cardura)

Phentolamine (Regitine)

Phenoxybenzamine (Dibenzyline)

Tolazoline (Priscoline)

Labetalol (Trandate, Normodyne)

Yohimbine (Yocon)




Receptor Selectivity(alpha1 vs. alpha2)

alpha-1

alpha-1

alpha-1

alpha-1

non-selective

only slightly selective for alpha-1 (non-competitive)

non-selective

alpha-1 (also non-selective beta-antagonist)

alpha-2


ß-Adrenoceptor antagonists

Drug

Propranolol (Inderal)

Metoprolol (Lopressor)

Esmolol (Brevibloc)

Atenolol (Tenormin)

Nadolol (Corgard)

Timolol (Blocadren)

Pindolol (Visken)

Labetalol (Trandate, Normodyne)

Butoxamine




Receptor Selectivity

non-selective

beta-1

beta-1

beta-1

non-selective

non-selective

non-selective (partial agonist)

non-selective (selective alpha-1-antagonist)

beta-2 (no clinical applications)


Adrenergic Neuron Blocking Drugs
Reserpine

Guanethidine (Ismelin)




* non-selective blockade of vesicular uptake and storage of biogenic amines

* similar to reserpine: Uptake I dependent

Return to top Menu

DOBUTAMINE

More about dobutamine


*

Dobutamine is a racemate; the (+) isomer produces the beta-1 effect (positive-chronotropic), but minimal cardioacceleration occurs because the (-) isomer is an alpha agonist, which tends to prevent the chronotropic effect (cardioacceleration)

*

The result is that cardiac output is increased with minimal increase in heart rate.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

CATACHOLAMINE SYNTHESIS

Catecholamine Synthetic Pathway

Adrenergic Neurotransmission: Introduction to the Neurotransmitters

Norepinephrine: transmitter released at most postganglionic sympathetic terminals

Dopamine: major CNS neurotransmitter of mammalian extrapyramidal system and some mesocortical and mesolimbic neurononal pathways.
Epinephrine: most important hormone of the adrenal medulla
Catecholamine Synthesis, Storage, and Release

Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (DOPA decarboxylase)

dopa leads to dopamine
methyldopa leads to a-methyldopamine (converted by dopamine ß hydroxylase to the "false transmitter" alpha-norepinephrine)
5-hydroxy-L-tryptophanleads to5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)
Tyrosine Hydroxylase
tyrosine leads to DOPA
rate limiting step in pathway
tyrosine hydroxylase is a substrate for cAMP-dependent and Ca2+ - calmodulin-sensitive protein kinase and protein kinase C
Increased hydroxylase activity is associated with the phosphorylated enzyme

SITES OF CHOLINERGIC ACTION

Cholinergic Transmission: Site Differences

Skeletal Muscle

Neurotransmitter: Acetylcholine

Receptor Type: Nicotinic

Sectioning and degeneration of motor and post-ganglionic nerve fibers results in:

an enhanced post-synaptic responsiveness, denervation hypersensitivity.

Denervation hypersensivity in skeletal muscle is due to

increased expression of nicotinic cholinergic receptors

and their spread to regions aways from the endplate.

Autonomic Effectors

Neurotransmitter: Acetylcholine

Receptor type: Muscarinic

effector coupled to receptor by a G protein

In smooth muscle and in the cardiac conduction system, intrinsic electrical activity and mechanism activity is present, modifiable by autonomic tone.

Activities include propagated slow waves of depolarization: Examples: intestinal motility and spontaneous depolarizations of cardiac SA nodal pacemakers.

Acetylcholine decreases heart rate by decreases SA nodal pacemaker phase 4 depolarization.

The cardiac action potential associated with HIS-purkinje fibers or ventricular muscle consists of five phases

Phase 0 corresponds to Na+ channel activation.

The maximum upstroke slope of phase 0 is proportional to the sodium current.

Phase 0 slope is related to the conduction velocity in that the more rapid the rate of depolarization the greater the rate of impulse propagation.

Phase 1 corresponds to an early repolarizing K+ current. This current like the Phase 0 sodium current is rapidly inactivated.

Phase 2 is the combination of an inward, depolarizing Ca2+ current balanced by an outward, repolarizing K+ current (delayed rectifier).

Phase 3 is also the combination of Ca2+ and K+ currents.

Phase 3 is repolarizing because the outward (repolarizing) K+ current increases while the inward (depolarizing) Ca2+ current is decreasing.

Phase 4 in normal His-Purkinje and ventricular muscle cells is characterized by a balance between outward Na+ current and inward K+ current. As a result, the membrane potential would normally be flat.

In disease states or for other cell types (SA nodal cells) the membrane potential drifts towards threshold. This phenomenon of spontaneous depolarization is termed automaticity and has an important role in arrthymogenesis.

Rate of phase 4 depolarization is decreased by an increase in K+ conductance--which leads to membrane hyperpolarization (takes longer to reach threshold)

Autonomic Ganglia
Neurotransmitter: Acetylcholine
Receptor type: Nicotinic
Generally similar to skeletal muscle site: initial depolarization is due to receptor activation. The receptor is a ligand-gated channel.
Blood vessels
Choline ester administration results in blood vessel dilatation as a result of effects on prejunctional inhibitory synapses of sympathetic fibers and inhibitory cholinergic (non-innervated receptors).
In isolated blood vessel preparations, acetycholine's vasodilator effects are mediated by activation of muscarinic receptors which cause release of nitric oxide, which produces relaxation.
Signal Transduction

Nicotinic Receptors

Ligand-gated ion channels

Agonist effects blocked by tubocurarine

Receptor activation results in:

rapid increases of Na+ and Ca2+ conductance

deplorization

excitation

Subtypes based on differing subunit composition: Muscle and Neuronal Classification

Muscarinic Receptors

G-protein coupled receptor system

Slower responses

Agonist effects blocked by atropine

At least five receptor subtypes have been described by molecular cloning. Variants have distinct anatomical locations and differing molecular specificities

CHOLINERGIC TRANSMISSION

Cholinergic Neurotransmission

Transmitter Synthesis and Degradation

Acetylcholine is synthesized from the immediate precursors acetyl coenzyme A and choline in a reaction catalyzed by choline acetyltransferase (choline acetylase).



Acetylcholinesterase

Rapid inactivation of acetylcholine is mediated by acetylcholinesterase.

Acetylcholinesterase is present at ganglia, visceral neuroeffector junctions, and neuromuscular junctional endplates.

Another type of cholinesterase, called pseudo-cholinesterase or butyrylcholinesterase has limited presence in neurons, but is present in glia. Most pseudocholinesterase activity is found in plasma and liver.

Pharmacological effects of anti-cholinesterase drugs are due to inhibition of acetylcholinesterase.

Acetylcholine Storage and Release

Small random release of acetylcholine-quanta, producing miniature end-plate potentials (mepps) , are released by presynaptic terminals.
These small currents were linked to ACh release since anticholinesterases (neostigmine) increased their effects, while cholinergic receptor antagonist (tubocurarine, a nicotinic receptor blocker) blocked.
Anatomical counterpart to the electrophysiological quanta is the synaptic vesicle.
The model is based on the nicotinic, skeletal neuromusclar junction.
Synchronous exocytotic release of many more quanta, dependent on Ca2+ occur when an action potential reaches the terminal.
Exocytotic release of acetylcholine and other neurotransmitters is inhibited by toxins elaborated by Clostridium botulinum.
Botulism

Botulism is caused by the most potent neurotoxins known. The neurotoxins are produced and liberated by Clostridium botulinum.
C. botulinum, ubiquitously found in soil and marine environments, is a group of gram positive anerobes that form spores.

Eight distinct toxins have been characterized, all but one being neurotoxic.
Botulinum neurotoxin affects cholinergic nerve terminals:
postganglionic parasympathetic endings
neuromuscular junctions
peripheral ganglia
CNS is not involved.
Botulinum neurotoxin prevents acetylcholine release:
binds presynaptically
internalized in vesicular form
released into the cytoplasm
the toxin(s), (zinc endopeptidases) causes proteolysis of components of the neuroexocytosis system.

function of ans

Fight or Flight: General Functions of the Autonomic Nervous System

ANS regulates organs/processes not under conscious control including:

circulation

digestion

respiration

temperature

sweating

metabolism

some endocrine gland secretions

Sympathetic system is most active when the body needs to react to changes in the internal or external environment: The requirement for sympathetic activity is most critical for:

temperature regulation

regulation of glucose levels

rapid vascular response to hemorrhage

reacting to oxygen deficiency

During rage or fright the sympathetic system can discharge as a unit--affecting multiorgan systems.

Sympathetic fibers show greater ramification.

Sympathetic preganglionic fibers may traverse through many ganglia before terminiating at its post-ganglionic cell. Synaptic terminal arborization results in a single preganglionic fiber terminating on many post-ganglionic cells.

This anatomical characteristic is the basis for the diffuse nature of sympathic response in the human and other species.

Sympathetic Responses

heart rate increases

blood pressure increases

blood is shunted to skeletal muscles

blood glucose increase

bronchioles dilate

pupils dilate

Parasympathetic responses

slows heart rate

protects retina from excessive light

lowers blood pressure

empties the bowel and bladder

increases gastrointestinal motility

promotes absorption of nutrients

parasympathetic nervous system

Comparisons between Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nerves

Sympathetic system has a broader distribution, innervating effectors throughout the body

Sympathetic fibers show greater ramification.

Sympathetic preganglionic fibers may traverse through many ganglia before terminiating at its post-ganglionic cell.
Synaptic terminal arborization results in a single preganglionic fiber terminating on many post-ganglionic cells.
This anatomical characteristic is the basis for the diffuse nature of sympathic response in the human and other species.

Parasympathetic system is relatively limited

The parasympathetic system has its terminal ganglia near the end-organ.

Sometimes there is but a one-to-one ratio relationship between pre-and post-ganglionic fibers. The ratio between preganglionic vagal fibers and ganglion cells may be much higher, e.g. 1:8000 for Auerbach's plexus