Bemethyl, also commonly referred to in literature as bemitil, is an

actoprotector Actoprotectors or synthetic adaptogens are compounds that enhance an organism's resilience to physical stress without increasing heat output. Actoprotectors are distinct from other performance-enhancing substances in that they increase physical and ...

drug which is also antihypoxant (combating conditions of hypoxia),

antioxidant Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...

, and antimutagenic. Bemethyl is primarily classified as an

: a synthetic adaptogen with significant capacity to increase physical performance. It is approved for use in Ukraine as a dietary supplement. Bemethyl is commonly used in preparing for international competitions by Ukrainian national sport teams. Bemethyl is formulated as a

hydrobromide In chemistry, a hydrobromide is an acid salt resulting, or regarded as resulting, from the reaction of hydrobromic acid with an organic base (e.g. an amine). The compounds are similar to hydrochlorides. Some drugs are formulated as hydrobromides, ...

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

. Its parent compound is 2-ethylsulfanyl-1''H''-benzimidazole.

Research

Metabolic modulation

Bemethyl also has a positive effect on metabolic processes, allowing adaptation to conditions causing frequent hypoxia, and the obtained effect is long-lasting and also occurs after the end of dosage.

Anti-hypoxant

Bemethyl has been shown to preserve both physical and mental capacity in high-altitude, low-oxygen environments, particularly by its effect in helping control excess serum levels of cholesterol and bilirubin, which are known to have negative effects especially during adjustment to high-altitude environments.

Recovery from trauma

Bemethyl has also been shown to prevent permanent hearing loss and facilitate recovery of hearing after mine-explosion trauma, when treatment is initiated immediately after injury.

Anti-mutagenic

In one study, bemethyl was shown to prevent the mutagenic effect of white asbestos in mice and in cultured human whole blood. A study using mice showed bemethyl to reduce mutation induced by certain mutagenic drugs. Another study using cells from human donors showed Bemethyl to be anticlastogenic (able to minimize chromosome breakages).

Anti-asthenic

A study using mice established that both single and continuous dosing of bemethyl increases work capacity and accelerates rehabilitation after exhaustive exertion.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

The mechanistic underpinnings of bemethyl's effects are not well understood, but some evidence implicate alterations in protein synthesis and glucose metabolism, in addition to antioxidant activity, as relevant mechanisms of action.

Pharmacokinetics

Bemethyl resists metabolization and is long-lived, accumulating in tissues over course of treatment. In one study involving rats, long-term administration of Bemethyl was accompanied by a 1.38-fold increase in drug concentration in the brain, and a 1.68-fold increase in its concentration in skeletal muscles.

History

Bemethyl was developed in the 1970s by the Department of Pharmacology of the St. Petersburg State Military Medical Academy under the direction of Professor Vladimir Vinogradov. Professor Vinogradov and his research team earned the

USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

for this accomplishment. First used with Soviet

cosmonaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...

s, bemethyl was also used to prepare athletes of the USSR national team for the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. In the 1990s, bemethyl saw use as a basic medicinal agent in many of the corps of the Soviet and Russian armies, including Soviet troops in Afghanistan, as bemethyl facilitated increased endurance for soldiers over long marches, as well as an enhanced work capacity and stability to hypoxia and high temperatures. Bemethyl was also used to enhance the physical and mental capacities of workers deployed in the wake of the 1986

Chernobyl disaster On 26 April 1986, the no. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located near Pripyat, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine), exploded. With dozens of direct casualties, it is one of only ...

Legal

In 2018, bemethyl was added to the Monitoring Program of the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; , AMA) is an international organization co-founded by the governments of over 140 nations along with the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against d ...

. As of 2021 it remains in the Monitoring Program, and therefore is not on the Prohibited List; presently only being monitored to potentially detect patterns of misuse in sport. The WADA Monitoring Program is also recognized by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, as bemethyl continues not to be a "banned substance" in sports.

References

{{Reflist Benzimidazoles Thioethers Drugs with unknown mechanisms of action Drugs in the Soviet Union