Pentolinium is a

ganglionic A ganglion is a group of neuron cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system. In the somatic nervous system this includes dorsal root ganglia and trigeminal ganglia among a few others. In the autonomic nervous system there are both sympatheti ...

blocking agent which acts as a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

. Formulated as the pentolinium tartrate salt, it is also known as Ansolysen. It can be used as an

antihypertensive Antihypertensives are a class of drugs that are used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). Antihypertensive therapy seeks to prevent the complications of high blood pressure, such as stroke and myocardial infarction. Evidence suggests that ...

drug during surgery or to control hypertensive crises. It works by binding to the

acetylcholine Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic chemical that functions in the brain and body of many types of animals (including humans) as a neurotransmitter. Its name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Part ...

receptor of adrenergic nerves and thereby inhibiting the release of noradrenaline and adrenaline. Blocking this receptor leads to

smooth muscle Smooth muscle is an involuntary non-striated muscle, so-called because it has no sarcomeres and therefore no striations (''bands'' or ''stripes''). It is divided into two subgroups, single-unit and multiunit smooth muscle. Within single-unit mus ...

relaxation and vasodilation.

Route of administration and dose

Pentolinium can be given orally (20mg three times a day), injected intramuscularly, or administered intravenously.

Use

Pentolinium and

hexamethonium Hexamethonium is a non-depolarising ganglionic blocker, a nicotinic (nAChR) receptor antagonist that acts in autonomic ganglia by binding mostly in or on the nAChR receptor, and not the acetylcholine binding site itself. It does not have any e ...

combined with ''

Rauvolfia ''Rauvolfia'' (sometimes spelled ''Rauwolfia'') is a genus of evergreen trees and shrubs, commonly known as devil peppers, in the family Apocynaceae. The genus is named to honor Leonhard Rauwolf. The genus can mainly be found in tropical regi ...

'' was reported in 1955 to be effective in the outpatient management of moderate to severe hypertension, with satisfactory orthostatic reduction in blood pressure but there are significant untoward effects attributable to the use of the hexamethonium. Pentolinium has been reported to offer more prolonged ganglionic blockade and has less severe untoward effects than hexamethonium.

References

External links

DrugBank: Pentolinium
{{Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulators Antihypertensive agents Nicotinic antagonists Pyrrolidines Quaternary ammonium compounds