Deoxyepinephrine

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Deoxyepinephrine
Deoxyepinephrine2DCSD.svg
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
4-[2-(Methylamino)ethyl]benzene-1,2-diol
Other names
Epinine; N-Methyldopamine; 3,4-Dihydroxy-N-methylphenethylamine
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.007.200 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
KEGG
MeSH Deoxyepinephrine
PubChem CID
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C9H13NO2/c1-10-5-4-7-2-3-8(11)9(12)6-7/h2-3,6,10-12H,4-5H2,1H3 Yes check.svgY
    Key: NGKZFDYBISXGGS-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/C9H13NO2/c1-10-5-4-7-2-3-8(11)9(12)6-7/h2-3,6,10-12H,4-5H2,1H3
    Key: NGKZFDYBISXGGS-UHFFFAOYAT
  • Oc1ccc(cc1O)CCNC
Properties
C9H13NO2
Molar mass 167.21 g/mol
Appearancecolorless crystalline solid
Melting point 188 to 189 °C (370 to 372 °F; 461 to 462 K) [1]
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Yes check.svgY  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

Deoxyepinephrine, also known by the common names N-methyldopamine and epinine, is an organic compound and natural product that is structurally related to the important neurotransmitters dopamine and epinephrine. All three of these compounds also belong to the catecholamine family. The pharmacology of epinine largely resembles that of its "parent", dopamine. Epinine has been found in plants, insects and animals. It is also of significance as the active metabolic breakdown product of the prodrug ibopamine, which has been used to treat congestive heart failure. [2] [3]

Contents

Occurrence

Epinine does not seem to occur widely, but it is present as a minor alkaloid in some plants, such as the peyote cactus, Lophophora williamsii , [4] and a species of Acacia , [5] as well as in Scotch Broom, Cytisus scoparius . [6] This compound has also been isolated from the adrenal medulla of pigs and cows, [7] and from the toad, Rhinella marina . [8] It has also been detected in the locust, Locusta migratoria . [9]

Chemistry

Preparation

The first total synthesis of epinine was reported by Buck, who prepared it from 3,4-dimethoxyphenethylamine ("homoveratrylamine") by first converting the latter to its Schiff base with benzaldehyde, then N-methylating this with methyl iodide; hydrolysis of the resulting product was followed by cleavage of the methyl ethers using hydriodic acid to furnish epinine. [10] A very similar synthesis, differing only in the use of dimethyl sulfate for the N-methylation, and HBr for the O-demethylation, but providing more extensive experimental details, was published by Borgman in 1973. [11]

An earlier semi-synthesis (so-called because it began with the natural product laudanosine) due to Pyman [1] is incorrectly cited by Buck, [10] and the error carried over to the entry for epinine (under the name deoxyepinephrine) in the Merck Index. [12]

Common salts of epinine are: hydrochloride, C9H13NO2.HCl, m.p. 179-180 °C; sulfate, (C9H13NO2)2.H2SO4, m.p. 289-290 °C; [1] hydrobromide, C9H13NO2.HBr, m.p. 165-166 °C. [11]

Structure

The X-ray structure of epinine hydrobromide has been reported. [13]

Pharmacology

One of the most prominent pharmacological characteristics of epinine, its ability to raise blood pressure, was noted as early as 1910, by Barger and Dale, who reported that "methylamino-ethyl-catechol", as they called it, had about 1/7 x the pressor potency of epinephrine, but about 5 x the potency of dopamine ("amino-ethyl-catechol") in cat preparations. [14] The Buroughs Wellcome Co., for which Barger, Dale and Pyman (see "Chemistry" section) worked, subsequently marketed the hydrochloride salt of "methylamino-ethyl-catechol", under the name "epinine", as a substitute for epinephrine. [15] Tainter further quantified the pressor activity of epinine in atropine-treated and anesthetized intact cats, showing that doses of 0.02-0.2 mg, given i.v., were about 1/12 as active as l-epinephrine, but that the effect lasted about twice as long (~ 3 minutes), and was accompanied by an increase in pulse rate. [15]

Eventually, epinine was determined to be a non-selective stimulant of dopamine (DA) receptors, α-, and β-adrenoceptors, with the stimulation of D2 receptors leading to inhibition of noradrenergic and ganglionic neurotransmission. These studies, conducted using anesthetized animals, were amplified by van Woerkens and co-workers, who compared the effects of epinine and dopamine in unanesthetized pigs, so as to avoid any possible influences of an anesthetic. Drug doses were in the range of 1-10 μg/kg/min, administered by i.v. infusion over a period of 10 minutes. The results of these experiments showed that, in pigs, over the dose-range employed, epinine was more potent than dopamine as an agonist on D2, α-, and β2-receptors, but was weaker than dopamine as a D1-agonist. The β1-agonist effect of both compounds was weak or non-existent. [16]

Comparable studies, in which blood pressure, heart rate and serum prolactin levels were measured after the administration of 0.5-4 μg/kg/min of epinine by i.v. infusion over a 15-minute period to healthy humans, were reported subsequently by Daul and co-workers. [17] These investigators found that at lower doses (0.5 or 1.0 μg/kg/min), which produced plasma concentrations of 20-80 nM/L, epinine, in common with dopamine, caused a fall in prolactin level, but did not affect blood pressure or heart rate. At higher doses (2.0 or 4.0 μg/kg/min), epinine significantly increased both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate. In contrast, dopamine caused an increase in systolic blood pressure and heart rate only. Both drugs increased diuresis and natriuresis - effects that are thought to be due to the activation of renal D1 receptors. It was concluded that at the lower doses, epinine and dopamine exerted their effects only at DA (D2) receptors, but did not activate α- or β-adrenoceptors. At the higher doses, epinine activated α-, β1- and β2-receptors to about the same extent, whereas dopamine showed only a mild stimulation of β1-receptors, without any effects on α- or β2-receptors. Additionally, it was observed that the effects of epinine were largely due to its direct action on receptors, while dopamine also produced some of its effects indirectly, by stimulating norepinephrine release.

Toxicity

LD50 for HCl salt: 212 mg/kg (mouse; i.p.). For comparison, it might be noted that dopamine has a LD50 of 1978 mg/kg under the same conditions. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

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A catecholamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter, an organic compound that has a catechol and a side-chain amine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrenergic receptor</span> Class of G protein-coupled receptors

The adrenergic receptors or adrenoceptors are a class of G protein-coupled receptors that are targets of many catecholamines like norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline) produced by the body, but also many medications like beta blockers, beta-2 (β2) agonists and alpha-2 (α2) agonists, which are used to treat high blood pressure and asthma, for example.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sympathomimetic drug</span> Substance that mimics effects of catecholamines

Sympathomimetic drugs are stimulant compounds which mimic the effects of endogenous agonists of the sympathetic nervous system. Examples of sympathomimetic effects include increases in heart rate, force of cardiac contraction, and blood pressure. The primary endogenous agonists of the sympathetic nervous system are the catecholamines, which function as both neurotransmitters and hormones. Sympathomimetic drugs are used to treat cardiac arrest and low blood pressure, or even delay premature labor, among other things.

An adrenergic agonist is a drug that stimulates a response from the adrenergic receptors. The five main categories of adrenergic receptors are: α1, α2, β1, β2, and β3, although there are more subtypes, and agonists vary in specificity between these receptors, and may be classified respectively. However, there are also other mechanisms of adrenergic agonism. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are endogenous and broad-spectrum. More selective agonists are more useful in pharmacology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synephrine</span> Chemical compound

Synephrine, or, more specifically, p-synephrine, is an alkaloid, occurring naturally in some plants and animals, and also in approved drugs products as its m-substituted analog known as neo-synephrine. p-Synephrine and m-synephrine are known for their longer acting adrenergic effects compared to epinephrine and norepinephrine. This substance is present at very low concentrations in common foodstuffs such as orange juice and other orange products, both of the "sweet" and "bitter" variety. The preparations used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), also known as Zhi Shi (枳实), are the immature and dried whole oranges from Citrus aurantium. Extracts of the same material or purified synephrine are also marketed in the US, sometimes in combination with caffeine, as a weight-loss-promoting dietary supplement for oral consumption. While the traditional preparations have been in use for millennia as a component of TCM-formulas, synephrine itself is not an approved over the counter drug. As a pharmaceutical, m-synephrine (phenylephrine) is still used as a sympathomimetic, mostly by injection for the treatment of emergencies such as shock, and rarely orally for the treatment of bronchial problems associated with asthma and hay-fever.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isoprenaline</span> Medication for slow heart rate

Isoprenaline, also known as isoproterenol and sold under the brand name Isuprel among others, is a sympathomimetic medication which is used in the treatment of acute bradycardia, heart block, and rarely for asthma, among other indications. It is used by injection into a vein, muscle, fat, or the heart, by inhalation, and in the past under the tongue or into the rectum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobutamine</span> Medication which strengthens heart contractions

Dobutamine is a medication used in the treatment of cardiogenic shock and severe heart failure. It may also be used in certain types of cardiac stress tests. It is given by IV only, as an injection into a vein or intraosseous as a continuous infusion. The amount of medication needs to be adjusted to the desired effect. Onset of effects is generally seen within 2 minutes. It has a half-life of two minutes. This drug is generally only administered short term, although it may be used for longer periods to relieve symptoms of heart failure in patients awaiting heart transplantation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Labetalol</span> Medication used to treat high blood pressure

Labetalol is a medication used to treat high blood pressure and in long term management of angina. This includes essential hypertension, hypertensive emergencies, and hypertension of pregnancy. In essential hypertension it is generally less preferred than a number of other blood pressure medications. It can be given by mouth or by injection into a vein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hordenine</span> Chemical compound

Hordenine is an alkaloid of the phenethylamine class that occurs naturally in a variety of plants, taking its name from one of the most common, barley. Chemically, hordenine is the N-methyl derivative of N-methyltyramine, and the N,N-dimethyl derivative of the well-known biogenic amine tyramine, from which it is biosynthetically derived and with which it shares some pharmacological properties. As of September 2012, hordenine is widely sold as an ingredient of nutritional supplements, with the claims that it is a stimulant of the central nervous system, and has the ability to promote weight loss by enhancing metabolism. In experimental animals, given sufficiently large doses parenterally, hordenine does produce an increase in blood pressure, as well as other disturbances of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems. These effects are generally not reproduced by oral administration of the drug in test animals, and virtually no scientific reports of the effects of hordenine in human beings have been published.

<i>N</i>-Methylphenethylamine Chemical compound

N-Methylphenethylamine (NMPEA) is a naturally occurring trace amine neuromodulator in humans that is derived from the trace amine, phenethylamine (PEA). It has been detected in human urine and is produced by phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase with phenethylamine as a substrate, which significantly increases PEA's effects. PEA breaks down into phenylacetaldehyde which is further broken down into phenylacetic acid by monoamine oxidase. When this is inhibited by monoamine oxidase inhibitors, it allows more of the PEA to be metabolized into nymphetamine (NMPEA) and not wasted on the weaker inactive metabolites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrenaline</span> Hormone and medication

Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions. It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and by a small number of neurons in the medulla oblongata. It plays an essential role in the fight-or-flight response by increasing blood flow to muscles, heart output by acting on the SA node, pupil dilation response, and blood sugar level. It does this by binding to alpha and beta receptors. It is found in many animals, including humans, and some single-celled organisms. It has also been isolated from the plant Scoparia dulcis found in Northern Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Higenamine</span> Chemical compound

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenylethanolamine</span> Chemical compound

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<i>N</i>-Methyltyramine Chemical compound

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candicine</span> Chemical compound

Candicine is a naturally occurring organic compound that is a quaternary ammonium salt with a phenethylamine skeleton. It is the N,N,N-trimethyl derivative of the well-known biogenic amine tyramine, and, being a natural product with a positively charged nitrogen atom in its molecular structure, it is classed as an alkaloid. Although it is found in a variety of plants, including barley, its properties have not been extensively studied with modern techniques. Candicine is toxic after parenteral administration, producing symptoms of neuromuscular blockade; further details are given in the "Pharmacology" section below.

<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-Dimethyldopamine Chemical compound

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halostachine</span> Alkaloid

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of catecholamine research</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dopamine (medication)</span> Hormone used as a medication

Dopamine, sold under the brand name Intropin among others, is a medication most commonly used in the treatment of very low blood pressure, a slow heart rate that is causing symptoms, and, if epinephrine is not available, cardiac arrest. In newborn babies it continues to be the preferred treatment for very low blood pressure. In children epinephrine or norepinephrine is generally preferred while in adults norepinephrine is generally preferred for very low blood pressure. It is given intravenously or intraosseously as a continuous infusion. Effects typically begin within five minutes. Doses are then increased to effect.

References

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