Methitural

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Methitural
Methitural.svg
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Chemical and physical data
Formula C12H20N2O2S2
Molar mass 288.42 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)

Methitural (INN; Neraval, Thiogenal), or methitural sodium, also known as methioturiate, is a barbiturate derivative which was marketed in the 1950s in Europe (in Germany and Italy) as an ultra-short-acting intravenous anesthetic. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Synthesis

Methitural synthesis: Zima, Von Werder, U.S. Patent 2,802,827 (1957 to E. Merck). Methitural synthesis.svg
Methitural synthesis: Zima, Von Werder, U.S. Patent 2,802,827 (1957 to E. Merck).

A somewhat more complex side chain is incorporated by alkylation of the carbanion of the substituted cyanoacetate (1) with 2-chloroethylmethyl sulfide (2). Condensation of the resulting cyanoester (3) with thiourea followed by hydrolysis of the resulting imine affords methitural.

See also

Related Research Articles

General anaesthetics are often defined as compounds that induce a loss of consciousness in humans or loss of righting reflex in animals. Clinical definitions are also extended to include an induced coma that causes lack of awareness to painful stimuli, sufficient to facilitate surgical applications in clinical and veterinary practice. General anaesthetics do not act as analgesics and should also not be confused with sedatives. General anaesthetics are a structurally diverse group of compounds whose mechanisms encompasses multiple biological targets involved in the control of neuronal pathways. The precise workings are the subject of some debate and ongoing research.

Sodium thiopental

Sodium thiopental, also known as Sodium Pentothal, thiopental, thiopentone, or Trapanal, is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate general anesthetic. It is the thiobarbiturate analog of pentobarbital, and an analog of thiobarbital. Sodium thiopental was a core medicine in the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the safest and most effective medicines needed in a health system, but was supplanted by propofol. Despite this thiopental is still listed as an acceptable alternative to propofol, depending on local availability and cost of these agents. It was previously the first of three drugs administered during most lethal injections in the United States, but the US manufacturer Hospira stopped manufacturing the drug and the European Union banned the export of the drug for this purpose. Although thiopental abuse carries a dependency risk, its recreational use is rare.

Local anesthetic

A local anesthetic (LA) is a medication that causes absence of pain sensation. In the context of surgery, a local anesthetic creates an absence of pain in a specific location of the body without a loss of consciousness, as opposed to a general anesthetic. When it is used on specific nerve pathways, paralysis also can be achieved.

Lidocaine local anesthetic

Lidocaine, also known as lignocaine, is a local anesthetic of the amino amide type. It is also used to treat ventricular tachycardia. When used for local anaesthesia or in nerve blocks, lidocaine typically begins working within several minutes and lasts for half an hour to three hours. Lidocaine mixtures may also be applied directly to the skin or mucous membranes to numb the area. It is often used mixed with a small amount of adrenaline (epinephrine) to prolong its local effects and to decrease bleeding.

Propofol Intravenous medication used in anaesthesia

Propofol, marketed as Diprivan, among other names, is a short-acting medication that results in a decreased level of consciousness and a lack of memory for events. Its uses include the starting and maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation for mechanically ventilated adults, and procedural sedation. It is also used for status epilepticus if other medications have not worked. It is given by injection into a vein, and the maximum effect takes about two minutes to occur and typically lasts five to ten minutes.

Anesthetic Drug that causes anesthesia

An anesthetic or anaesthetic is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two broad classes: general anesthetics, which result in a reversible loss of consciousness, and local anesthetics, which cause a reversible loss of sensation for a limited region of the body without necessarily affecting consciousness.

Amobarbital

Amobarbital is a drug that is a barbiturate derivative. It has sedative-hypnotic properties. It is a white crystalline powder with no odor and a slightly bitter taste. It was first synthesized in Germany in 1923. It is considered an intermediate acting barbiturate. If amobarbital is taken for extended periods of time, physical and psychological dependence can develop. Amobarbital withdrawal mimics delirium tremens and may be life-threatening. Amobarbital was once manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company in the US under the brand name Amytal in bright blue bullet shaped capsules or pink tablets containing 50, 100, or 200 milligrams of the drug. It was widely abused, known as "blue heavens" on the streets, and was discontinued by Eli Lilly in the early 1980s.

Butabarbital

Butabarbital is a prescription barbiturate sleep aid and anxiety medication. Butabarbital has a particularly fast onset of effects and short duration of action compared to other barbiturates, which makes it useful for certain applications such as treating severe insomnia, relieving general anxiety and relieving anxiety before surgical procedures; however it is also relatively dangerous particularly when combined with alcohol, and so is now rarely used, although it is still prescribed in some Eastern European and South American countries. Its intermediate duration of action gives butabarbital an abuse potential slightly lower than secobarbital. Butabarbital can be hydrolyzed to Valnoctamide.

Analeptic

An analeptic, in medicine, is a central nervous system stimulant. The term analeptic typically refers to respiratory analeptics. Analeptics are central nervous system stimulants that include a wide variety of medications used to treat depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and respiratory depression. Analeptics can also be used as convulsants, with low doses causing patients to experience heightened awareness, restlessness and rapid breathing. The primary medical use of these drugs is as an anesthetic recovery tool or to treat emergency respiratory depression. Other drugs of this category are prethcamide, pentylenetetrazole, and nikethamide. Nikethamide is now withdrawn due to risk of convulsions. Analeptics have recently been used to better understand the treatment of a barbiturate overdose. Through the use of agents researchers were able to treat obtundation and respiratory depression.

Heptabarb

Heptabarb, also known as heptabarbitone (BAN) or heptabarbital, is a sedative and hypnotic drug of the barbiturate family. It was used in Europe for the treatment of insomnia from the 1950s onwards, but has since been discontinued.

Chloral hydrate/magnesium sulfate/pentobarbital sodium, brand name Equithesin, is a combination anesthetic agent used as a general anesthetic in horses. It is administered intravenously to effect. For many years, it was the most commonly used injectable anesthetic in horses. Newer anesthetic agents such as injectable barbiturates, alpha-2 agonists, cyclohexylamines, and inhalants gradually replaced Equithesin. The drug has been off the market and unavailable for decades.

Hexobarbital

Hexobarbital or hexobarbitone, sold both in acid and sodium salt forms as Citopan, Evipan, and Tobinal, is a barbiturate derivative having hypnotic and sedative effects. It was used in the 1940s and 1950s as an agent for inducing anesthesia for surgery, as well as a rapid-acting, short-lasting hypnotic for general use, and has a relatively fast onset of effects and short duration of action. It was also used to murder women prisoners at Ravensbrück concentration camp. Modern barbiturates have largely supplanted the use of hexobarbital as an anesthetic, as they allow for better control of the depth of anesthesia. Hexobarbital is still used in some scientific research.

Etoxadrol

Etoxadrol (CL-1848C) is a dissociative anaesthetic drug that has been found to be an NMDA antagonist and produce similar effects to PCP in animals. Etoxadrol, along with another related drug dexoxadrol, were developed as analgesics for use in humans, but development was discontinued in the late 1970s after patients reported side effects such as nightmares and hallucinations.

Dimethocaine

Dimethocaine, also known as DMC or larocaine, is a compound with a stimulatory effect. This effect resembles that of cocaine, although dimethocaine appears to be less potent. Just like cocaine, dimethocaine is addictive due to its stimulation of the reward pathway in the brain. However, dimethocaine is a legal cocaine replacement in some countries and is even listed by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) under the category “synthetic cocaine derivatives”. The structure of dimethocaine, being a 4-Aminobenzoic acid ester, resembles that of procaine. It is found as a white powder at room temperature.

Nisoxetine

Nisoxetine, originally synthesized in the Lilly research laboratories during the early 1970s, is a potent and selective inhibitor for the reuptake of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) into synapses. It currently has no clinical applications in humans, although it was originally researched as an antidepressant. Nisoxetine is now widely used in scientific research as a standard selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. It has been used to research obesity and energy balance, and exerts some local analgesia effects.

Barbiturate Chemical family

A barbiturate is a drug that acts as a central nervous system depressant. Barbiturates are effective as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as well as overdose potential among other possible adverse effects. They have largely been replaced by benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepines ("Z-drugs") in routine medical practice, particularly in the treatment of anxiety and insomnia, due to the significantly lower risk of addiction and overdose and the lack of an antidote for barbiturate overdose. Despite this, barbiturates are still in use for various purposes: in general anesthesia, epilepsy, treatment of acute migraines or cluster headaches, acute tension headaches, euthanasia, capital punishment, and assisted suicide.

Thiotetrabarbital

Thiotetrabarbital is a drug which is a short-acting barbiturate derivative that is used as an anesthetic. It has been used in veterinary medicine.

Neosaxitoxin

Neosaxitoxin (NSTX) is included, as other saxitoxin-analogs, in a broad group of natural neurotoxic alkaloids, commonly known as the paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs). The parent compound of PSTs, saxitoxin (STX), is a tricyclic perhydropurine alkaloid, which can be substituted at various positions, leading to more than 30 naturally occurring STX analogues. All of them are related imidazoline guanidinium derivatives.

Buthalital

Buthalital sodium, or buthalitone sodium (BAN), is a barbiturate derivative which was under development as a short-acting anesthetic. However, development was discontinued, perhaps due to its extremely rapid elimination rate, and buthalital sodium was never marketed.

GABA<sub>A</sub> receptor positive allosteric modulator

In pharmacology, GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators are positive allosteric modulator (PAM) molecules that increase the activity of the GABAA receptor protein in the vertebrate central nervous system.

References

  1. F.. Macdonald (1997). Dictionary of Pharmacological Agents. CRC Press. p. 1300. ISBN   978-0-412-46630-4 . Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  2. HOUDE J, HUDON F, JACQUES A (January 1957). "Neraval (methitural sodium) (sch. 3132)". Canadian Anaesthetists' Society Journal. 4 (1): 43–6. doi: 10.1007/bf03009193 . PMID   13396640.
  3. IRWIN S, STAGG RD, DUNBAR E, GOVIER WM (March 1956). "Methitural, a new intravenous anesthetic: comparison with thiopental in the cat, dog and monkey". The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 116 (3): 317–25. PMID   13307393.