gastroprokinetic agent
A prokinetic agent (also prokineticin, gastroprokinetic agent, gastrokinetic agent or propulsive) is a type of drug which enhances gastrointestinal motility by increasing the frequency or strength of contractions, but without disrupting their rhyt ...
agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...
. The major active metabolite of mosapride, known as M1, additionally acts as a 5HT3
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain. which accelerates emptying throughout the whole of the gastrointestinal tract in humans, and is used for the treatment of
gastritis
Gastritis is the inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may occur as a short episode or may be of a long duration. There may be no symptoms but, when symptoms are present, the most common is upper abdominal pain (see dyspepsia). Othe ...
,
gastroesophageal reflux disease
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a chronic upper gastrointestinal disease in which stomach content persistently and regularly flows up into the esophagus, resulting in symptoms and/or ...
,
functional dyspepsia
Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a common gastrointestinal disorder defined by symptoms arising from the gastroduodenal region in the absence of an underlying organic disease that could easily explain the symptoms. Characteristic symptoms include ep ...
and
irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms may ...
. It is recommended to be taken on an empty stomach (i.e. at least one hour before food or two hours after food).
In addition to its prokinetic properties, mosapride also exerts anti-inflammatory effects on the gastrointestinal tract which may contribute to some of its therapeutic effects. Mosapride also promotes
neurogenesis
Neurogenesis is the process by which nervous system cells, the neurons, are produced by neural stem cells (NSCs). This occurs in all species of animals except the porifera (sponges) and placozoans. Types of NSCs include neuroepithelial cells ( ...
in the gastrointestinal tract which may prove useful in certain bowel disorders. The neurogenesis is due to mosapride's effect on the 5-HT4 receptor where it acts as an agonist.
Its common side effects include dry mouth, abdominal pain, dizziness, headache, insomnia,
malaise
In medicine, malaise is a feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or lack of wellbeing and often the first sign of an infection or other disease. It is considered a vague termdescribing the state of simply not feeling well. The word has exist ...
, nausea, diarrhea and sometimes constipation.Mosapride drug information – Drugs Update India /ref> Unlike some other prokinetic agents, mosapride has little effect on potassium channels, no effect on hERG transfected cells, and no effect on cardiovascular function that could be detected in tests on humans. Due to the pharmacokinetics of mosapride, it would take 1,000–3,000 times the therapeutic dose to elicit cardiovascular effects.