Aceglutamide (brand name Neuramina), or aceglutamide aluminium (brand name Glumal), also known as acetylglutamine, is a
psychostimulant
Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition ...
,
nootropic
Nootropics ( or ) (colloquially brain supplements, smart drugs, cognitive enhancers, memory enhancers, or brain boosters) are chemical substances which purportedly improve cognitive functions, such as attention, memory, wakefulness, and self ...
, and
antiulcer agent that is marketed in
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
It is an
acetyl
In organic chemistry, an acetyl group is a functional group denoted by the chemical formula and the structure . It is sometimes represented by the symbol Ac (not to be confused with the element actinium). In IUPAC nomenclature, an acetyl grou ...
ated form of the
amino acid
Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...
L-glutamine, the
precursor of
glutamate
Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; known as glutamate in its anionic form) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a Essential amino acid, non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that ...
in the body and
brain
The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...
.
Aceglutamide functions as a
prodrug
A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive medication or compound that, after intake, is metabolized (i.e., converted within the body) into a pharmacologically active drug. Instead of administering a drug directly, a corresponding prodrug can be ...
to glutamine with improved
potency
Potency may refer to:
* Potency (pharmacology), a measure of the activity of a drug in a biological system
* Virility
* Cell potency, a measure of the differentiation potential of stem cells
* In homeopathic dilutions, potency is a measure of ho ...
and
stability
Stability may refer to:
Mathematics
*Stability theory, the study of the stability of solutions to differential equations and dynamical systems
** Asymptotic stability
** Exponential stability
** Linear stability
**Lyapunov stability
** Marginal s ...
.
Aceglutamide is used as a psychostimulant and nootropic, while aceglutamide aluminium is used in the treatment of ulcers. Aceglutamide can also be used as a liquid-stable source of glutamine to prevent damage from protein energy malnutrition.
[, abandoned during patent examination] The drug has shown
neuroprotective effects in an
animal model
An animal model (short for animal disease model) is a living, non-human, often genetic-engineered animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease process without the risk of ha ...
of
cerebral ischemia
Brain ischemia is a condition in which there is insufficient bloodflow to the brain to meet metabolic demand. This leads to poor oxygen supply in the brain and may be temporary such as in transient ischemic attack or permanent in which there is ...
.
See also
*
Aceburic acid
*
Aceturic acid
*
''N''-Acetylglutamic acid
References
{{Glutamatergics
Acetamides
Alpha-Amino acids
Amino acid derivatives
Drugs acting on the gastrointestinal system and metabolism
Neurotransmitter precursors
Nootropics
Prodrugs
Stimulants