Clinical data | |
---|---|
Trade names | Ampamet, Memodrin, Pergamid |
AHFS/Drugs.com | International Drug Names |
Routes of administration | By mouth |
ATC code | |
Legal status | |
Legal status |
|
Pharmacokinetic data | |
Elimination half-life | 0.5 hours [1] [2] |
Identifiers | |
| |
CAS Number | |
PubChem CID | |
IUPHAR/BPS | |
DrugBank | |
ChemSpider | |
UNII | |
KEGG | |
ChEBI | |
ChEMBL | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.108.230 |
Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C12H13NO3 |
Molar mass | 219.240 g·mol−1 |
3D model (JSmol) | |
| |
| |
(what is this?) (verify) |
Aniracetam (brand names Draganon, Sarpul, Ampamet, Memodrin, Referan), also known as N-anisoyl-2-pyrrolidinone, is a racetam which is sold in Europe as a prescription drug. It is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States as a prescription medication or dietary supplement. [3] [4] Despite the FDA's lack of approval, the drug is readily available over-the-counter in misbranded dietary supplements. [3]
Aniracetam has been used to treat dementia following stroke and in Alzheimer's disease. [5] It has undergone a number of experiments in rodents; in a 1982 experiment on rats and mice it was found to have a variety of psychoactive effects, improving learning and memory that was otherwise impaired experimentally. [6] It has been identified as a nootropic drug due to these memory effects. [7] A 2001 study reported that in mice it has modest effects similar to an anxiolytic. [8]
Aniracetam has been shown to positively modulate the AMPA receptor. [9]
When ingested orally aniracetam is quickly broken down via first pass hepatic metabolism. The primary metabolites of aniracetam are N-anisoyl-GABA, (70–80%), 2-Pyrrolidinone and p-anisic acid (20–30%). [2] [10] [11] There is some preliminary research suggesting that N-anisoyl-GABA and to a lesser degree p-ansic acid may contribute to the stimulatory effects of aniracetam in rats. [12] Further work in rats suggests that N-anisoyl-GABA may contribute more to increasing acetylcholine release than aniracetam itself. [13] For instance, a study using the forced swim test in rats found that the two metabolites 2-pyrrolidinone and N-anisoyl-GABA alone yielded similar anti-depressant effects as aniracetam itself. [12] The authors of the aforementioned study hypothesized that the metabolites work by increasing levels of dopamine and by stimulating the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. [12]
Plasma concentrations are generally in the 5–15 μg/L range for aniracetam and 5–15 mg/L range for N-anisoyl-GABA, a pharmacologically active metabolite, during the first few hours after oral administration of the drug. These two plasma species may be measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. [14] [15] [16]
The drug was first made in the 1970s by Hoffmann-La Roche. [17] [18] Synthesis can be accomplished by reacting 2-pyrrolidone with anisoyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine. [19]
Alternatively, gamma-aminobutyric acid can react with anisoyl chloride. Ring closure can be accomplished in the presence of thionyl chloride. [19]
Aniracetam is available by prescription in Greece (brand names Memodrin and Referan) and Italy (brand name Ampamet), where it is indicated for mental function disorders. [20]
Aniracetam is a schedule 4 substance in Australia under the Poisons Standard (February 2020). [21] A schedule 4 substance is classified as "Prescription Only Medicine, or Prescription Animal Remedy – Substances, the use or supply of which should be by or on the order of persons permitted by state or territory legislation to prescribe and should be available from a pharmacist on prescription." [21]
Flunitrazepam, sold under the brand name Rohypnol among others, is a benzodiazepine used to treat severe insomnia and assist with anesthesia. As with other hypnotics, flunitrazepam has been advised to be prescribed only for short-term use or by those with chronic insomnia on an occasional basis.
Phenelzine, sold under the brand name Nardil, among others, is a non-selective and irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) of the hydrazine family which is primarily used as an antidepressant and anxiolytic to treat depression and anxiety. Along with tranylcypromine and isocarboxazid, phenelzine is one of the few non-selective and irreversible MAOIs still in widespread clinical use.
Nootropics, colloquially brain supplements, smart drugs and cognitive enhancers, are natural, semisynthetic or synthetic compounds which purportedly improve cognitive functions, such as executive functions, attention or memory.
Piracetam is a drug that has efficacy in cognitive disorders, vertigo, cortical myoclonus, dyslexia, and sickle cell anemia; sources differ on its usefulness for dementia. Piracetam is sold as a medication in many European countries. Sale of piracetam is not illegal in the United States, although it is not regulated nor approved by the FDA, so it is legally sold for research use only.
Clonazepam, sold under the brand name Klonopin among others, is a benzodiazepine medication used to prevent and treat anxiety disorders, seizures, bipolar mania, agitation associated with psychosis, obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and akathisia. It is a long-acting tranquilizer of the benzodiazepine class. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, hypnotic, and skeletal muscle relaxant properties. It is typically taken orally but is also used intravenously. Effects begin within one hour and last between eight and twelve hours in adults.
Oxiracetam is a nootropic drug of the racetam family and a very mild stimulant. Several studies suggest that the substance is safe even when high doses are consumed for a long period of time. However, the mechanism of action of the racetam drug family is still a matter of research. Oxiracetam is not approved by Food and Drug Administration for any medical use in the United States.
Nebracetam is an investigational drug of the racetam family that is a M1 acetylcholine receptor agonist in rats. Based on a human leukemic T cell experiment in 1991, it is believed to act as an agonist for human M1-muscarinic receptors. It is also believed to act as a nootropic, like many other racetam drugs. A chemoenzymatic method of synthesis was reported in 2008. As of 2023, human trials have not yet been conducted.
Zopiclone, sold under the brand name Imovane among others, is a nonbenzodiazepine, specifically a cyclopyrrolone, used to treat difficulty sleeping. Zopiclone is molecularly distinct from benzodiazepine drugs and is classed as a cyclopyrrolone. However, zopiclone increases the normal transmission of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the central nervous system, via modulating GABAA receptors similarly to the way benzodiazepine drugs do inducing sedation but not with the anti-anxiety properties of the benzodiazepines.
Adrafinil, sold under the brand name Olmifon, is a wakefulness-promoting medication that was formerly used in France to improve alertness, attention, wakefulness, and mood, particularly in the elderly. It was also used off-label by individuals who wished to avoid fatigue, such as night workers or others who needed to stay awake and alert for long periods of time. Additionally, the medication has been used non-medically as a novel vigilance-promoting agent.
Racetams are a class of drugs that share a pyrrolidone nucleus. Some, such as piracetam, aniracetam, oxiracetam, pramiracetam and phenylpiracetam are considered nootropics. Others such as levetiracetam, brivaracetam, and seletracetam are anticonvulsants.
Phenylpiracetam, is a phenyl-substituted analog of the drug piracetam. It was developed in 1983 as a medication for Soviet Cosmonauts to treat the prolonged stresses of working in space. Phenylpiracetam was created at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Biomedical Problems in an effort led by psychopharmacologist Valentina Ivanovna Akhapkina. In Russia it is now available as a prescription drug. Research on animals has indicated that phenylpiracetam may have anti-amnesic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, anxiolytic, and memory enhancement effects.
Adinazolam is a tranquilizer of the triazolobenzodiazepine (TBZD) class, which are benzodiazepines (BZDs) fused with a triazole ring. It possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, and antidepressant properties. Adinazolam was developed by Jackson B. Hester, who was seeking to enhance the antidepressant properties of alprazolam, which he also developed. Adinazolam was never FDA approved and never made available to the public market; however, it has been sold as a designer drug.
Camazepam is a benzodiazepine psychoactive drug, marketed under the brand names Albego, Limpidon and Paxor. It is the dimethyl carbamate ester of temazepam, a metabolite of diazepam. While it possesses anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, skeletal muscle relaxant and hypnotic properties it differs from other benzodiazepines in that its anxiolytic properties are particularly prominent but has comparatively limited anticonvulsant, hypnotic and skeletal muscle relaxant properties.
Etizolam is a thienodiazepine derivative which is a benzodiazepine analog. The etizolam molecule differs from a benzodiazepine in that the benzene ring has been replaced by a thiophene ring and triazole ring has been fused, making the drug a thienotriazolodiazepine.
Picamilon is a drug formed by a synthetic combination of niacin and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). It was developed in the Soviet Union in 1969 and further studied in both Russia and Japan as a prodrug of GABA.
Deramciclane (EGIS-3886) is a non-benzodiazepine-type anxiolytic drug to treat various types of anxiety disorders. Deramciclane is a unique alternative to current anxiolytics on the market because it has a novel chemical structure and target. It acts as an antagonist at the 5-HT2A receptor, as an inverse agonist at the 5-HT2C receptor, and as a GABA reuptake inhibitor. The two serotonin receptors are G protein-coupled receptors and are two of the main excitatory serotonin receptor types. Their excitation has been implicated in anxiety and mood. Deramciclane does not affect CYP3A4 activity in metabolizing other drugs, but it is a weak inhibitor of CYP2D6. Some studies also show the drug to have moderate affinity to dopamine D2 receptors and low affinity to dopamine receptor D1. Researchers are looking for alternatives to benzodiazepines for anxiolytic use because benzodiazepine drugs have sedative and muscle relaxant side effects.
Leonurine is a pseudoalkaloid that has been isolated from Leonotis leonurus, Leonotis nepetifolia, Leonurus japonicus, Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort), Leonurus sibiricus, as well as other plants of family Lamiaceae. Leonurine is easily extracted into water.
N-Phenylacetyl-l-prolylglycine ethyl ester is promoted as a nootropic and is a prodrug of cyclic glycine-proline. Other names include the brand name Noopept, developmental code GVS-111, and proposed INN omberacetam.
N-Desalkylflurazepam is a benzodiazepine analog and an active metabolite of several other benzodiazepine drugs including flurazepam, flutoprazepam, fludiazepam, midazolam, flutazolam, quazepam, and ethyl loflazepate. It is long-acting, prone to accumulation, and binds unselectively to the various benzodiazepine receptor subtypes. It has been sold as a designer drug from 2016 onward.
Hydroxybupropion, or 6-hydroxybupropion, is the major active metabolite of the antidepressant and smoking cessation drug bupropion. It is formed from bupropion by the liver enzyme CYP2B6 during first-pass metabolism. With oral bupropion treatment, hydroxybupropion is present in plasma at area under the curve concentrations that are as many as 16 to 20 times greater than those of bupropion itself, demonstrating extensive conversion of bupropion into hydroxybupropion in humans. As such, hydroxybupropion is likely to play a very important role in the effects of oral bupropion, which could accurately be thought of as functioning largely as a prodrug to hydroxybupropion.