Thioxanthene is a

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

in which the

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

atom in

xanthene Xanthene (9''H''-xanthene, 10''H''-9-oxaanthracene) is the organic compound with the formula CH2 6H4sub>2O. It is a yellow solid that is soluble in common organic solvents. Xanthene itself is an obscure compound, but many of its derivatives are u ...

is replaced with a

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

atom. It is also related to

phenothiazine Phenothiazine, abbreviated PTZ, is an organic compound that has the formula S(C6H4)2NH and is related to the thiazine-class of heterocyclic compounds. Derivatives of phenothiazine are highly bioactive and have widespread use and rich history. ...

. Several of its

derivative In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is t ...

s are used as

typical antipsychotic Typical antipsychotics (also known as major tranquilizers, and first generation antipsychotics) are a class of antipsychotic drugs first developed in the 1950s and used to treat psychosis (in particular, schizophrenia). Typical antipsychotics m ...

s in the treatment of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

and other psychoses.

Derivatives

The derivatives of thioxanthene used clinically as antipsychotics include: *

Chlorprothixene Chlorprothixene, sold under the brand name Truxal among others, is a typical antipsychotic of the thioxanthene group. Medical uses Chlorprothixene's principal indications are the treatment of psychotic disorders (e.g. schizophrenia) and of acut ...

(Cloxan, Taractan, Truxal) *

Clopenthixol Clopenthixol (Sordinol), also known as clopentixol, is a typical antipsychotic drug of the thioxanthene class. It was introduced by Lundbeck in 1961. Clopenthixol is a mixture of '' cis'' and ''trans'' isomers. Zuclopenthixol, the pure ''cis'' ...

(Sordinol) *

Flupenthixol Flupentixol ( INN), also known as flupenthixol (former BAN), marketed under brand names such as Depixol and Fluanxol is a typical antipsychotic drug of the thioxanthene class. It was introduced in 1965 by Lundbeck. In addition to single drug pr ...

(Depixol, Fluanxol) *

Thiothixene Tiotixene, or thiothixene is a typical antipsychotic agent currently sold under the brand name Navane which is predominantly utilised to treat acute and chronic schizophrenia. Beyond its primary Indication (medicine), indication, it can exhibit ...

(Navane) *

Zuclopenthixol Zuclopenthixol (brand names Cisordinol, Clopixol and others), also known as zuclopentixol, is a medication used to treat schizophrenia and other psychoses. It is classed, pharmacologically, as a typical antipsychotic. Chemically it is a thioxant ...

(Cisordinol, Clopixol, Acuphase) The therapeutic efficacy of these drugs is related to their ability to antagonize the D₂ receptors in the brain, though they have actions at other sites such as

serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...

adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands a ...

, and

histamine receptor The histamine receptors are a class of G protein–coupled receptors which bind histamine as their primary endogenous ligand. Histamine is a neurotransmitter involved in various physiological processes. There are four main types of histamine recep ...

s as well which mostly contribute to

side effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect of the use of a medicinal drug or other treatment, usually adverse but sometimes beneficial, that is unintended. Herbal and traditional medicines also have side effects. A drug or procedure usually use ...

s. The thioxanthenes, as a class, are closely related chemically to the

phenothiazines Phenothiazine, abbreviated PTZ, is an organic compound that has the formula S(C6H4)2NH and is related to the thiazine-class of heterocyclic compounds. Derivatives of phenothiazine are highly bioactive and have widespread use and rich history. ...

. The major structural difference is that the nitrogen at position 10 in the phenothiazines is replaced by a carbon atom with a double bond to the side chain.''

Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics ''Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics'', commonly referred to as the Blue Bible or Goodman & Gilman, is a textbook of pharmacology originally authored by Louis S. Goodman and Alfred Gilman. First published in 1941, t ...

'' This difference is noted in the illustration of flupenthixol, which shows a double-bonded carbon in the number 10 position (opposite the sulfur molecule in the central chain).

References

External links

*
MedlinePlus
{{Tricyclics